You may have heard of the new HBO movie The Fallout, starring Jenna Ortega (primarily known from her roles on Disney) and Maddie Ziegler (primarily known from Dance Moms). If you have heard of this up-and-coming movie and haven’t gotten around to watching it or have been putting it off, here is why you should watch it now.

       The Fallout is about Vada (Jenna Ortega), a teenage girl who has to learn to cope with her trauma after a shooting happens at her high school.  During the shooting she meets two other teenagers (Mia and Quinton) who end up hiding in the same bathroom stall as her. Due to this, these students form a bond and start to go to each other to talk, grieve, and distract each other from the trauma and pain the shooting has caused. Even though Vada seems to be having a relationship with some people, she ends up slowly not talking to her family and former best friend Nick. 

      The realism and emotion shown throughout this movie make it such a great film. Throughout the film we see many realistic things that are happening or seen around us every day, such as scenes with TikTok, BLM posters, teen activism, and similar fashion Gen Z wears. Along with that, there is plenty of emotion shown in the film, like during the school shooting scene when the group of students express raw fear, horror, and sadness. Also, the film captures loneliness as Vada pushes away from her family and feels like she ruined her friendship with her friends; as well as joy and funny moments when her and Mia tell each other jokes, get high and drink, and make fun of one another. The movie also has many life themes such as friendship, love, loneliness, a teenager’s identity, and the desire for a better future. 

      The film also has an amazing ending that pulls the storyline completely together with Vada realizing that no matter how hard you try to heal from trauma, your suffering will never completely go away and the only thing to do is take it day by day.