Eric LaRue

When a terrible domestic tragedy strikes a seemingly “normal” family, how do its members pick up the pieces and carry on? How are they to resolve their grief while dealing with the bitter backlash of others, some of whom have no connection to the incident in question? And is there responsibility or blame to be leveled against one or more of the individuals at the center of this calamity? Those are among the questions raised in this intense directorial debut from actor Michael Shannon, the story of a household torn apart when troubled teenage son Eric (Nation Sage Henrikson) shoots and kills three classmates at school one day in what appears to be a cold, unanticipated, matter-of-fact fashion. The incident leaves his parents, Janice (Judy Greer) and Ron (Alexander Skarsgård), to sort out matters and attempt to carry on with their lives. That’s easier said than done, however, given their respective responses to the event, reactions that affect their relationship, their work lives and their participation in proposed interventions by their pastors, Janice’s genial but largely inept Presbyterian minister (Paul Sparks) and Ron’s dubious fundamentalist preacher (Tracy Letts). While Janice struggles to find clarity in a sea of confusion, Ron believes everything can be made better by simply handing off his troubles to Jesus in what amounts to little more than an act of denial and an abrogation of his willingness to address what happened, an attitude politely but intrusively encouraged by his fellow parishioner and co-worker, Lisa (Allison Pill), whose interest in Ron’s “well-being” apparently extends beyond his spiritual healing. Then there are the differing reactions (or lack thereof) of the victims’ mothers (Jennifer Engstrom, Annie Parisse, Kate Arrington), who exhibit a range of emotions and behaviors that complicate matters even further. And, in the meantime, Eric sits alone in prison, receiving visits from no one, including his own parents. The gripping presentation of...