Firearms Cloud a Developing Friendship in ‘Shadow of a Gun’
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Logline: An exploration of gun ownership in America and the effect it can have on a rapidly evolving friendship between two neighbors.
Elevator Pitch:
When I stumbled upon my roommate’s building with an AR-15 rifle in the garage, it led to an exploration of the role that guns play in our culture, the effect this tool has on a new friendship, and the treacherous and confusing nature of our mediated realities.
Production Team:
Director/Producer: Micah Van Hove
Director of Photography: Joe Marine
Editor: Jeffrey Reeser
About the Film:
At a time when the AR-15 rifle is possibly the most hated object in America, it becomes even more difficult to tell the story of how it effects the psyche of two gun hobbyists who view the tool in very different ways. We do not shy away from this complexity, and in many ways it is precisely the goal of this film: to stimulate more conversation around this subject in a way politics cannot do.
It takes a deeply marginalized person to commit an act like the one in Orlando, and uncovering the source of that marginalization is as problematic and complex as a thing can get. These shootings almost force us to immediately take a political stance, but as a filmmaker I am faced with taking a human stance, and invariably asking more questions:
Can we mitigate political blame when these tragedies happen? Can we separate the ideology from the individual? Can we condemn a sick person without proliferating the same suffering that he or she was motivated by? How do we truly understand the root beneath the surface?
It’s no secret that this country was founded at the barrel of a gun — now we are all living in that shadow. Often real change is instigated by a long, hard look in the mirror; we hope this film is part of that reflection.
Current Status: Fundraising.
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