FILM REVIEW: AMERICAN GUN

By Jessica Reaves

Chicago Tribune Staff Writer

3 stars

If you were one of the (apparently legion) filmgoers annoyed by the neat and tidy resolution of "Crash," you're in luck. "American Gun," the debut feature from Aric Avelino, is the structural sibling to Paul Haggis' race relations opus, but beyond the similarly interwoven vignettes, it's a different animal altogether: messier, more complicated and ultimately more interesting.

"American Gun" is three stories told as one, each illustrating a different perspective on gun violence. This is not a movie about gun policy, or the attendant legislative battles; it's a movie about several very different lives, in very different places, each affected profoundly by a culture of violence.

Marcia Gay Harden, whose performance would, in a just world, be nominated for an Oscar, is Janet, whose older son was responsible for a Columbine-style shooting at his Oregon school. In the three years since the rampage, Janet has lost her job and most of her friends and is a pariah in her small town. Her surviving son, David, in high school now, is showing escalating signs of anger - at his mother, at his dead brother, at the world - that keep Janet up nights. Harden, one of our best and most versatile actors, plays the demonized mother with a pitch-perfect balance of delusional calm and near-hysterical grief and guilt. A scene in which she's confronted by angry and self-righteous neighbors ranks among the most discomfiting in recent memory. As David, Christopher Marquette is confused, heartbroken and unexpectedly likable. He's a testament to the resilience of kids, even in the presence of irrevocably damaged adults.

Halfway across the country, Principal Carter (Forest Whitaker, in a subtle and powerful performance) is struggling to keep control over a volatile Chicago high school. His barely contained rage is mirrored in his chaotic environment, where metal detectors shriek warnings and truly dedicated students are as rare as they are prized. One such student, Jay (played with a nice mix of insouciance and intelligence by Arlen Escarpeta), is clearly on his way somewhere far better when he's caught with a gun on school grounds. The ensuing confrontation (and aftermath) eschews predictability, showing instead a tiny, raw slice of a reality that almost no one wants to think about. This entire storyline is shot using a green gel, which lends an arresting underwater quality to the tense, emotionally charged scenes.

The final thread emerges in Charlottesville, Va., through the eyes of Mary Ann (Linda Cardellini), a student at the University of Virginia who works in the family business, a gun shop. The dusty old place is owned by her grandfather (Donald Sutherland), whose primary purpose in the film seems to be throwing us off the scent of any "gun nut" caricature. He's calm and, well, grandfatherly, and there's nothing about him that speaks to the prevailing image of gun dealers. Mary Ann, meanwhile, finds the whole endeavor more than a bit unseemly until she witnesses the near-rape of one of her classmates. The next scene shows her learning, slowly, how to handle a gun.

While not a perfect movie by any means - a few scenes feel forced - there is plenty to recommend it, even beyond the truly great performances. Not the least of these attributes is the confidence with which rookie director Avelino steers what could easily have become a clunky morality tale. He is apparently - and thankfully - comfortable asking questions (Who's to blame for gun violence? How do we make it stop?) without expecting an answer, and he doesn't mind taking his characters to places that are uncomfortable, and yet he doesn't pull punches. Avelino is clearly a talent to watch: May his career be long, challenging and controversial.

"American Gun"

Directed by Aric Avelino; screenplay by Avelino and Steven Bagatourian; photographed by Nancy Schreiber; edited by Richard Nord; music by Peter Golub; production designed by Devorah Herbert; produced by Ted Kroeber. An IFC Films release; opens Friday, April 7: 1:34. MPAA rating: R (violent content and language).

Carl - Donald Sutherland

Carter - Forest Whitaker

Janet - Marcia Gay Harden

Mary Ann - Linda Cardellini

Frank - Tony Goldwyn

David - Christopher Marquette

Jay - Arlen Escarpeta

Sarah - Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon