Gun drama makes an authentic plea
A strong, empathetic turn by Noah Wyle as a chance shooting victim anchors the absorbing and authentic “Shot,” helmed by veteran film and TV director Jeremy Kagan from a script by Will Lamborn and Anneke Campbell (story by Kagan).
This vital tale involves sound mixer Mark (Wyle), who’s hit in the chest by a stray bullet while standing on a Los Angeles street with his wife, Phoebe (Sharon Leal).
A propulsive, you-arethere journey from ambulance to hospital emergency room follows as paramedics, nurses and physicians furiously work, at times in graphic detail, to keep Mark alive.
Then there’s 17-year-old Miguel (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), a good kid whose first gun, lent him by a cousin for protection from bullies, accidentally fired and struck Mark from afar. The horrified boy can’t inform the police, frozen by the potential legal — and familial — consequences.
The third act skips ahead five months where the effects of the shooting’s toll on Mark, his unsettled relationship with Phoebe, and the guilt-ridden Miguel converge in poignant and profound ways.
Kagan employs a purposeful, if at times distracting, use of split screen, along with subjective camera and mind’s-eye visuals to capture the story’s visceral and emotional tension.
But it’s the fine acting and the film’s plea for sensible gun control that carry the day.
“Shot.” Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes. Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica.