Written and directed by Hannah Peterson, a year after her boyfriend dies from gun violence, a young woman prepares to graduate high school as she navigates an uncertain future alongside a community that is searching for ways to heal. Starring: Mina Sundwall, Alex R. Hibbert, John Cho, Maria Dizzia, Yasmeen Fletcher, Kelly O’Sullivan and Stephen Fuller Austin.
Approaching a topic like school shootings is always going to require a sensitive, thoughtful hand and that’s exactly what you get from Hannah Peterson. With The Graduates, Peterson creates a sincere portrayal of the idea of establishing a new normal. It’s not simply processing the loss and the trauma, it’s the realisation and acceptance that life cannot be the same. Striving to go back to a sense of ‘normal’ can end up doing more damage, needing instead to establish a new version of everyday life.
One of the reasons why Peterson’s portrayal works so well is that it’s not forcing its characters to face their mental anguish, it’s giving them the space to roam, discover and naturally arrive at that realisation on their own. It’s a very healthy attitude to take and one that allows The Graduates to move with a compelling, gradual and pensive pacing. The atmosphere has just the right weight to it, getting under your skin slowly but surely, for something cathartic which connects with that sense of healing.
Peterson’s directorial style plays a big part in that, creating an almost nostalgic air to its movement, as well as the cinematography by Carolina Costa. It has a softened edge which taps right into that thoughtful atmosphere. It captures that cloud of grief which hangs over them but never lets it overwhelm the tone, the same way that it holds a definitive sadness but isn’t limited by that quality.
Another huge element to that success are the performances, led by a superb portrayal from Mina Sundwall. The Graduates does a great job of having Sundwall’s Genevieve as the epicentre while she’s surrounded by an excellent supporting cast. Her performance encompasses all the different aspects to the story, which are then individually elevated by the rest of the cast. Whether that be a worn and weary grieving father in John Cho, a concerned mother in Maria Dizzia or a returned friend struggling to fight the same battle in Alex R. Hibbert. Sundwall and Hibbert have a very sweet chemistry, it’s one of the several ways that this film holds a tenderness.
The Graduates approaches a very difficult topic with a gentle, confident and considerate hand. It never forces its character to confront their trauma, instead simply following them as they find a way to work through it. Mina Sundwall is excellent and provides the heart of a film which is filled with emotional performances. There’s a wonderful and organically gradual catharsis at work, especially as every individual character moves at their own pace. Hannah Peterson set herself a challenge for her debut feature and rose to it, creating something compelling with an impactful use of the quiet.
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