Please keep in mind, The Fallout is rated R for language and underage drug and alcohol use. Viewer direction is advised because of heavy topics like drug addiction, 

The Fallout features Jenna Ortega as the main character, a 16 year old high schooler named Vada. This movie is an emotional rollercoaster. The storyline is centered around how several high school students deal with PTSD as a result of a terrible and traumatic school shooting.

Vada and her classmates witness the shooting, which causes a lot of heavy emotion and makes it difficult to recover mentally and emotionally. It’s heartbreaking to realize how common school shootings are in the United States, and the life changing effects of them depicted in the film. One never expects to be the next to be impacted by such a tragedy.

The dialogue in the film felt really genuine. The individuals and how trauma was handled seemed painfully realistic. Coping with alcohol and drugs is shown in this film as well, which tells viewers just how devastating addiction can be. Vada demonstrates how she and her classmates deal with the trauma instilled in them.

Vada feels lost, she feels empty. This tragedy has impacted her whole life: at home, with friends, and at school. It’s taken a toll on her, as it would anybody. She starts taking chances — Vada spends more time with Mia (Maddie Ziegler) who was with her during the school shooting. As Vada feels lost she seems to find hope and support through Mia, growing stronger from the incident and continuing while still healing.

Vada was by far my favorite character in the film; Ortega’s acting was great, and she did an excellent job portraying this lost, hopeless girl. She does an excellent job at sharing Vada’s emotions with the audience. Her acting is really compelling and lets the audience feel exactly what she is going through as they watch.

The Fallout is a true depiction of one of the worst parts of the modern world and the country we live in. It portrays genuine mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. 

This movie is totally worth watching. It’s so engaging — viewers won’t even notice the time go by. Overall, I would rate The Fallout 4/5 stars.

The topics in the film, however, may be triggering to some. If you’re sensitive to any depiction of school shootings, violence, or drug and alcohol abuse, I would strongly advise not watching this movie.