Dawn Anna

That’s her name, last name Anna, which she has spent most of her life explaining, like I have to point out that my name doesn’t begin with a B. It’s based on a true story. She’s played by Debra Winger, and she is a schoolteacher with four teenage kids who comes down with some awful malady that even she can’t recall what it’s called, so I sure can’t. But there’s more, and I have to issue a

SPOILER WARNING

I didn’t see it coming, so I was completely blindsided. Just when things are going well again, it is revealed that the school her youngest daughter is about to graduate from is Columbine High School, in Colorado. And you guessed it, the daughter is one of those killed by those fucking monsters. So it’s pretty intense.

I don’t go in much for cheap tears, though mine can be jerked along with the most sentimental of slobs. I don’t think this one really strayed over the line, but it was a close thing sometimes. Mostly it just renewed my hatred for the monsters, the sort of people you just fervently wish could somehow be brought back to life so we could show them what real pain is like.

The reason I rented this was because it was the second film appearance of Tatiana Maslany, who plays the daughter at age twelve. She was actually twenty at the time, but is perfectly convincing as a pre-teen. This is a girl who has shown such incredible versatility in her roles that I really hope she goes far, and doesn’t end up looking for more roles as clones.