There are no easy answers in NEWTOWN – no words of compassion or reassurance that can bring back the 20 children and six educators who lost their lives during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Instead, Snyder gives us exclusive access into the lives and homes of those who lost loved ones, and others in the community who have been indelibly changed by the events. Each person, be it a parent, school nurse, or state police officer, tries in their own way to make sense of their loss, as well as confront our nation’s inability to quell gun violence in even the most peaceful of communities. NEWTOWN bears witness to their profound grief and allows it to reverberate within our collective conscience – exploring what happens to a community after it becomes the epicenter of a national discussion, and what is still left to cope with after the cameras leave.
By most accounts from some friends of mine who saw it at Sundance, Newtown doesn't get into the weeds of the political debate. Instead it focuses on those directly affected by that horrific day, and the actions they are taking that will ripple throughout the world. Watch out for this one as an potential Oscar contender in the Best Documentary field. Newtown hits theaters on October 7th.
