by Nomad
Directed and edited by AJ Schnack, this short but powerful film is very simple in concept: a catalog of the 911 calls of mass shootings in America since January 2011. In reverse order, the first call is by a young man from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The New Yorker had this to say about the film:
The idea behind this film, “Speaking Is Difficult,” which began back in 2015, is that speaking about gun violence, while difficult, is essential, and the only way to address our national shame. Underlying this project is the belief that America is caught in a negative feedback loop when it comes to gun violence.As emotional and as difficult as it is to listen to, I ask you to bear with it and watch it to the very end.
A congresswoman shot outside a supermarket, young children murdered in their classroom, moviegoers attacked in a theatre—none of these horrors was enough to get the country to address this epidemic. In fact, as the rate of mass shootings increased, responses seemed to grow more indifferent and unsurprised: shock, mourning, outrage, stasis, repeat.