Fans of the beloved actor Michael Shannon, who most recently reprised his role as Zod in The Flash movie, understand him as a performer with a strong onscreen presence and even better emotional conviction. After a career of over 30 years, Shannon turns his talents towards directing. A long-time lover of stage plays, it’s not entirely shocking that his debut would be an adaptation of one. In his first feature film, he explores grief, guilt, and blame after a school shooting plagues a small town with turbulent sorrow. Eric LaRue is a devastating and emotionally gripping story enhanced by Shannon’s longtime experience with stage plays and Judy Greer’s perfect performance.
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Adapted from a stage play written by Brett Neveu (who also wrote the screenplay), Eric LaRue examines the lives affected by a school shooting. Greer stars as Janice LaRue, the mother of a high schooler who takes the life of three classmates. While trying to navigate how she’s supposed to feel, Janice’s husband, Ron (Alexander Skarsgård) goes on a spiritual journey and lays down all his burdens for Christ to bear. When the pressures of a therapy session among the mothers of Eric’s victims are recommended, the suggestion jump-starts Janice’s own walk with religion while she continues to battle her debilitating guilt.

Similar to Mass, Fran Kranz’s intense 2021 drama, by concept alone, Shannon delivers an emotionally compelling adaptation that tests a person’s faith in the midst of tragedy. Janice and Ron both go on a shattering journey to comprehend why such a tragedy happened, but the feature gives a compassionate glimpse of how it impacts a community at large. Specifically, the tie-in to group therapy sessions is an added benefit to the script that its predecessor simply did not possess. By incorporating this element, the story offers a more holistic approach in tackling grief and blame in a way that would get you to think about multiple perspectives.

There’s no other way to say it, but Shannon’s feature debut can come off a bit odd because there’s an underlying theme related to religion and accountability. Ron deals with his guilt and grief by not really dealing with it at all. Instead, he joins a new church and befriends a flirtatious HR manager named Lisa, played by the delightful Alison Pill (though she’s borderline deranged here). Janice, however, refuses to dump her problems on religion yet struggles to sit with her despair, all the while attempting to accept the guilt and blame that controls her. Witnessing their opposing views on how to deal with their predicament makes for a fascinating yet uncomfortable watch, especially due to some dark, but well-timed, humor.

With such a heavy topic at his disposal, it’s almost a wonder how Shannon’s instincts seem so natural throughout Eric LaRue. But it’s a welcome surprise as he forcefully gets us to reflect on how we would feel and act in this situation. Of course, it all works because of his stellar cast and their exceptional performances. Specifically, Greer gives what feels like the best performance of her career, which truly says something as the veteran actress has blessed us over the years. Skarsgård is just as impactful on screen as he turns his burdens over to God in an almost unrecognizable role. Honestly, everyone in the film, whether their role is big or small, gives their all.

A great achievement in critically analyzing the various stages and aftermath of a huge tragedy, Shannon’s directorial debut is powerful and compelling. Shannon and Neveu’s compassionate display of understanding different perspectives when it comes to something as tragic as a school shooting is simply beautiful storytelling. And though some choices on screen indicate its stage play adaptation, these subtle displays are outnumbered and upstaged by sensational performances from Greer and Skarsgård. This may have been Shannon’s first feature, but his insights into human behavior and emotion — that he has used in his acting — beautifully transfer to his directing. And something tells me that fans of the actor will support him for future directing activities, especially if they are of similar quality to Eric LaRue.

Eric LaRue premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. The film is 119 minutes and not yet rated.