Newtown

Name: Newtown
Genre: Documentary
Released: October 7, 2016
Duration: 85 min
Rating: 87

2016

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Universal acclaim based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 17 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 17 Ratings

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Newtown

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Movie Details & Credits

Abramorama | Release Date: October 7, 2016

Summary: Twenty months after the horrific mass shooting in Newtown, CT that took the lives of twenty elementary school children and six educators on December 14, 2014, 2012, the small New England town is a complex psychological web of tragic aftermath in the wake of yet another act of mass killing at the hands of a disturbed young gunman. Kim A.Twenty months after the horrific mass shooting in Newtown, CT that took the lives of twenty elementary school children and six educators on December 14, 2014, 2012, the small New England town is a complex psychological web of tragic aftermath in the wake of yet another act of mass killing at the hands of a disturbed young gunman. Kim A. Snyder’s searing Newtown documents a traumatized community fractured by grief and driven towards a sense of purpose. [Abramorama]… Expand

Director: Kim A. Snyder

Genre(s): Documentary

Runtime: 85 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Andrew Barker

Jan 31, 2016

Structured more like a requiem than a polemic, the doc ebbs and flows in accordance with the cycles of mourning as it speaks with parents of the murdered children, as well as the teachers, priests, doctors and neighbors afflicted with survivor’s guilt, elegantly and devastatingly capturing the tenor of a small town that will carry these scars for at least a generation. Read full review

100

Bilge Ebiri

Jan 31, 2016

It confronts, but it doesn’t exploit. It’s about one of the most horrifying events of recent years, and yet it’s defined by its austerity, its sense of quiet. It is as much about the complex, dull horror of memory as it is about the brute, sharp horror of that day. Read full review

100

Neil Genzlinger

Oct 6, 2016

This film isn’t content to be merely a “never forget” reminder; it wants to convey just how deep and lasting the pain is, from this attack and, by extension, many others. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Matt Zoller Seitz

Oct 7, 2016

Newtown is being characterized as an apolitical documentary, just a portrait of Newtown before, during and after the shootings, but that's not entirely true. Read full review

A.A. Dowd

Oct 5, 2016

From a filmmaking standpoint, Newtown is neither adventurous nor unconventional. It doesn’t need to be; no documentary this emotionally direct, this emotionally draining, requires bells and whistles. Read full review

The Guardian Lanre Bakare

Jan 31, 2016

It’s a shocking and compelling piece of work. Read full review

Clayton Dillard

Oct 2, 2016

Its enervated address of both mental-health treatment and gun laws receives few constructive articulations beyond a single scene. Read full review

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User Reviews

Taplinger

Apr 14, 2017

Were there justice in this debauched country of ours, this documentary would receive every award there is. Director Kim Snyder makes it clear that there is no justice in a country that would witness a massacre like this and then allow its elected officials to knuckle under to the NRA. ForWere there justice in this debauched country of ours, this documentary would receive every award there is. Director Kim Snyder makes it clear that there is no justice in a country that would witness a massacre like this and then allow its elected officials to knuckle under to the NRA. For the parents and siblings of the murdered, for the first responders, the shooting remains a forever-open wound. For this viewer at least, Washington's lack of response to prevent another massacre is a stream of salt poured directly into that open wound. But I'm just going on about the implied politics of this amazing film. When you see "Newtown" you'll probably instead feel how powerfully Ms. Snyder has captured the unfairness of the universe.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

dajhorn

Dec 29, 2017

Newtown reminds me of an industrially produced cookie. It has perfect production values and assembly, but is formulaic and unsatisfying.

The most interesting parts of the movie were the paperwork snippets. Adam Lanza was a formally diagnosed headcase in the custody of a dysfunctionalNewtown reminds me of an industrially produced cookie. It has perfect production values and assembly, but is formulaic and unsatisfying.

The most interesting parts of the movie were the paperwork snippets. Adam Lanza was a formally diagnosed headcase in the custody of a dysfunctional single mother, but none of the involved parties -- psychologists, child protection workers, or the family court -- were capable or willing to intervene. Nor did this docudrama criticize any of these parties for mission failure.

The producers also didn't mention that Sandy Hook School was participating in a post-Columbine security theatre that is completely ineffective against a genuinely hostile actor.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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