I'm Not Ashamed

Last updated

I'm Not Ashamed
I'm Not Ashamed poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrian Baugh
Screenplay by
  • Bodie Thoene
  • Robin Hanley
  • Philipa Booyens
  • Kari Redmond
Based onJournals
by Rachel Joy Scott
Produced by
  • Brad Allen
  • Nise Davies
  • Chuck Howard
  • Martin Michael
Starring
CinematographyJohn Matysiak
Edited byChris Witt
Music by Timothy Williams
Distributed by Pure Flix Entertainment
Release date
  • October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
Running time
112 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.5 million [2]
Box office$2.1 million [3]

I'm Not Ashamed is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Brian Baugh and based on the journals of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Columbine, Colorado. Scott, played by Masey McLain, serves as the protagonist of the film; the story of both gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, is intertwined with hers and this indicates the two were the antagonists. The film was distributed by Pure Flix Entertainment. It received generally negative reviews from critics and audiences. It performed poorly at the box office as well, with revenue of $2.1 million compared to the $1.5 million budget of the film.

Plot

In Littleton, Colorado, a young Rachel Joy Scott witnesses her father leave her family in the middle of the night. [4] Her mother then struggles financially and encourages her children to pray for financial help. Rachel begins to become more spiritual in embracing her Christian faith.

By 1998, Rachel is a sophomore at Columbine High School; she becomes rebellious and begins sneaking out to hang out with her friends, Madison, Gabby, and Celine. During the summer, Rachel's mother sends her to her cousins in Louisiana, where her spirituality grows. By around the first day of her junior year, Rachel witnesses the jocks picking on Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Eric then threatens to harm them.

Later that year, Rachel begins to get involved with the head of the drama club, Alex Dickerson, and during a rehearsal, the two kiss. Later on, at a breakthrough meeting, Rachel meets Nathan Ballard, a homeless youth whose mother is a heroin addict. With Rachel's help, Nathan is able to be put up at another kid's house. Nathan is grateful.

One day, Rachel's stepfather, Larry, finds a beer bottle from a party in the car, and Rachel loses her right to the car, becoming rebellious again. At the first performance of the school play, Nathan arrives and begins to fight with Alex, embarrassing Rachel. At a party that night, Rachel discovers Alex cheating on her with Madison. She then begins to be bullied more often by others and even considers suicide at one point. However, with Nathan's encouragement, Rachel turns back to her faith and inspires other Christian students to not give up hope, despite being bullied. Meanwhile, Eric and Dylan plan their revenge on the school.

Meanwhile, Rachel tries to help Celine with family issues but is rebuffed. The day before prom, Celine reconciles with Rachel, revealing that she has issues with her mother. Not long after at prom, Alex tries to reconcile with Rachel, but she declines his apology.

On April 20, 1999, Rachel reconciles with Madison, and the two make plans to hang out the next day. At lunch, Rachel has an emotional conversation with a fellow student, Dave Rogers, about family issues. Rachel calms him by saying that everything happens for a reason. Just then, Eric and Dylan come out of the parking lot and begin shooting at Rachel and Richard Costaldo. Richard is knocked unconscious, while Rachel struggles to get away. Eric and Dylan corner her, with Eric tauntingly asking her if she still believes in God, and when Rachel tells him that she does, he points his gun to her head and shoots her. The assailants then storm the school offscreen, killing 11 other students and one teacher before taking their own lives. In the aftermath, U.S. President Bill Clinton (via archive footage) addresses the nation that the prayers of the American people are with Littleton, but also says that citizens must do more to reach out to our children teach them to express anger and resolve their conflicts with words, not weapons.

All of Rachel's friends pay tribute to her after the shooting. At Rachel's funeral, Nathan gives a eulogy, stating that he always loved her.

Sometime after, Rachel's mother finds a note on a dresser in their house, that Rachel had written years before. The note states that she will one day "touch millions of people's hearts".

Cast

Production

The film was based on the book The Journals of Rachel Scott, by Debra Klingsporn, and Beth Nimmo, mother of Rachel Scott, who was one of the executive producers of the film. Benny Proffitt, Christian author, speaker and co-founder of Christian youth group, First Priority, oversaw the creation of the film and helped to ensure the integrity of the story throughout the film's production.

Historical accuracy and controversies

The actual circumstances surrounding Rachel Scott's final moments are a subject of dispute. [5] [6]

No police or FBI reports, nor any eyewitness reports, mentions the killers having said anything to Rachel before her death. Police and FBI investigations as well as abundant amount of evidence shows that Scott was shot from afar without any conversation taking place. [7] [8]

The movie further shows Richard Castaldo, the student shot directly alongside Rachel and who only survived the attack by feigning death, later recalled hearing Rachel weeping as she curled into a ball upon the grass, before hearing a final gunshot as Harris and Klebold approached them. [9] This coincides with how Castaldo described the events. [10]

The film was also criticized for suggesting that Klebold and Harris were influenced in their actions because the school taught evolution instead of creation. [11]

Release

In October 2015, an official trailer for the film that was uploaded to YouTube by Pure Flix was removed, and the Pure Flix channel suspended. [12] As a result, the producers of the film accused YouTube of an anti-Christian bias, and claimed that they were not "provided with any clear explanation or substantiation" of why the trailer was removed, though they speculated that it may have been because of a Change.org petition saying it glorified the shooting. [12] [13] YouTube stated that the trailer was flagged by the community, and noted that due to the volume of reports they receive, they sometimes make the wrong call when such mass-flaggings occur. [12]

The film has since been released on DVD, including a German version in 2017 and a French version in 2020. [14] [15]

Reception

Box office

The film opened in 505 theaters on October 21, 2016, and played at 516 theaters in its widest release. [3] Its lifetime box-office take was $2,082,980. [3]

Critical reception

The film was panned by critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 4.15/10. [16] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 31 out of 100, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [17]

Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian gave the film a rating of two out of five stars, writing: "To use the senseless death of a school shooting victim to promote one's warped political agenda is, to use a trendy term, deplorable", although he praised McLain's portrayal of Rachel Scott, saying she was the film's "saving grace" and "a terrific, warm and engaging performer". [18] Vadim Rizov of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade of "D+", calling it "just another vehicle for a series of scenes in which devout characters remind each other that God has it all under control" and that "the political implications are very unsavory". [19] Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times noted that, while the film placed "a welcome emphasis on accepting people for who they are, [...] the forced ironies of having infamous teen mass-murderers interact with the heroine feels more than a little exploitative." [20] However, Luke Thompson of Forbes had a more positive reaction, summarizing the film as "a sweet little high-school movie about wanting to be liked, wanting to be good, and the conflict those two desires sometimes bring." [21]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Based on Mark Bodiford-Pettit.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbine High School massacre</span> 1999 mass shooting in Columbine, Colorado, US

The Columbine High School massacre, often simply referred to as Columbine, was a school shooting and a failed bombing that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered twelve students and one teacher. Ten of the twelve students killed were in the school library, where Harris and Klebold subsequently died by suicide. Twenty-one additional people were injured by gunshots, and gunfire was also exchanged with the police. Another three people were injured trying to escape. The Columbine massacre was the deadliest mass shooting at a K-12 school in U.S. history, until December 2012. Columbine is still considered one of the most infamous massacres in the U.S. for inspiring many other school shootings and bombings; the word "Columbine" has since become a byword for modern school shootings. As of 2024, Columbine is still the deadliest school shooting in Colorado and one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States.

<i>Elephant</i> (2003 film) 2003 drama film directed by Gus Van Sant

Elephant is a 2003 American psychological drama film written, directed and edited by Gus Van Sant. It takes place in Watt High School, in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, and chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting, based in part on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The film begins a short time before the shooting occurs, following the lives of several characters both in and out of school, who are unaware of what is about to unfold. The film stars mostly new actors, including John Robinson, Alex Frost, and Eric Deulen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold</span> American mass murderers (1981–1999)

Eric David Harris and Dylan Bennet Klebold were two American high school seniors and mass murderers who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 in Columbine, Colorado. Harris and Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher and wounded 24 others. After killing most of their victims in the school's library, they died by suicide. At the time, it was the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassie Bernall</span> Victim of the Columbine High School Massacre

Cassie René Bernall was an American student who was killed in the Columbine High School massacre, where 11 more students and a teacher were killed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who then committed suicide. It was reported that Bernall had been asked whether or not she believed in God, and she said "Yes", before being shot during the massacre. However, investigators concluded the person who was asked about her belief in God was Valeen Schnurr, who survived the shooting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Scott</span> American murder victim (1981–1999)

Rachel Joy Scott was an American student who was the first fatality of the Columbine High School massacre, during which 11 other students and a teacher were also murdered by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who then committed suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbine High School</span> Public high school in Columbine, Colorado, United States

Columbine High School (CHS) is a public high school in Columbine, Colorado, United States, in the Denver metropolitan area. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district.

<i>Super Columbine Massacre RPG!</i> 2005 role-playing video game

Super Columbine Massacre RPG! is a role-playing video game created by Danny Ledonne and released in April 2005. The game recreates the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Columbine, Colorado. Players assume the roles of gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and act out the massacre, with flashbacks relating parts of Harris and Klebold's past experiences. The game begins on the day of the shootings and follows Harris and Klebold after their suicides to fictional adventures in perdition.

<i>Columbinus</i> Play written by Stephen Karam

Columbinus is a play written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, with contributions by Josh Barrett, Sean McNall, Karl Miller, Michael Milligan and Will Rogers, created by the United States Theatre Project. The play looks at issues of alienation, hostility and social pressure in high schools and was suggested by the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado. The play premiered in Silver Spring, Maryland in 2005 and then Off-Broadway in 2006.

<i>The Nobodies</i> (song) 2001 song by Marilyn Manson

"The Nobodies" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It is the third and final single from their fourth studio album, Holy Wood , released in 2000. The song addresses Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. The song's title is from a quote by John Lennon's murderer, Mark David Chapman, who once lamented that he "felt like a nobody."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel's Challenge</span> Anti-violence organization

Rachel's Challenge is an organization in the United States that works to reduce violence. It is a non-religious, non-profit, non-political organization, led by Darrell Scott and his wife Sandy.

<i>Columbine</i> (book) 2009 non-fiction book written by Dave Cullen

Columbine is a non-fiction book written by Dave Cullen and published by Twelve on April 6, 2009. It is an examination of the Columbine High School massacre, on April 20, 1999, and the perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The book covers two major storylines: the killers' evolution leading up to the attack, and the survivors' struggles with the aftermath over the next decade. Chapters alternate between the two stories. Graphic depictions of parts of the attack are included, in addition to the actual names of friends and family.

<i>A Mothers Reckoning</i> 2016 memoir by Sue Klebold

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy is a 2016 memoir by Sue Klebold, the mother of Dylan Klebold. Along with Eric Harris, Dylan was one of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. The book details the childhood and teenage years of her son, and what she says are signs she missed that Dylan was suffering from clinical depression. The book also examines her grieving process in dealing with the fallout of the massacre.

<i>The Library</i> (play) 2014 play by Scott Z. Burns

The Library is a 2014 play written by Scott Z. Burns concerning the aftermath of a school shooting that takes place in the school library. It was inspired by Dave Cullen's book Columbine about the Columbine High School massacre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall</span> 1999 memoir by Misty Bernall

She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall is a memoir by Misty Bernall about the life of her daughter Cassie Bernall who was killed during the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Klebold</span> American author and activist (born 1949)

Susan Francis Klebold is an American activist and author whose son, Dylan Bennet Klebold, was one of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. After the massacre, she wrote A Mother's Reckoning, a book about the signs and possible motives she missed of Dylan's mental state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbine Memorial</span> Memorial in Colorado commemorating the Columbine High School Massacre

The Columbine Memorial is a memorial in Columbine, Colorado, that honors the deceased and injured victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. The memorial is located in Clement Park, which is behind Columbine High School, the site of the massacre. It is operated by a non-profit institution whose mission is to operate the memorial and its upkeeping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Eubanks</span> American addiction recovery advocate and Columbine High School massacre survivor

Stephen Austin Eubanks was an American motivational speaker on addiction and recovery. He was one of the most well-known survivors of the Columbine High School massacre, both in its immediate aftermath and in post-event commentary. During the shooting, Eubanks' best friend, 17-year-old Corey DePooter, was killed and Eubanks was shot in his hand and knee. Eubanks struggled with opioid addiction and later heroin use for years after the shooting. He was the chief operations officer for the Foundry Treatment Center. Eubanks died of a heroin overdose in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbine effect</span> Legacy of the 1999 Columbine massacre

The Columbine effect is the legacy and impact of the Columbine High School massacre, which occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. The shooting has had an effect on school safety, policing tactics, prevention methods, and inspired numerous copycat crimes, with many killers taking their inspiration from Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold by describing the two perpetrators as being martyrs or heroes.

Masey Renee Stanley is an American actress who starred in I'm Not Ashamed, a 2016 film. She played the part of Rachel Scott, who was killed in the Columbine High School massacre. As well as her movie roles, McLain is also a published author and appeared in the music video "God Only Knows". The song, popularized by For King & Country, won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.

<i>No Easy Answers</i> Book by friend of the Columbine shooters

No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine is a 2002 non-fiction book by Brooks Brown and Rob Merritt about the Columbine High School massacre. Brown was a student at Columbine High School at the time of the shooting and a friend of the perpetrators, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The book recounts Brown's experiences growing up as close friends with Klebold, his time as a student at Columbine, and his experiences with media, police, and school authorities following the shooting.

References

  1. ↑ "AMC Theatres: I'm Not Ashamed". AMC Theatres . Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  2. ↑ Strowbridge, C.S. "2016 Preview: October". The Numbers . Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "I'm Not Ashamed (2016) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ THR STAFF, ‘I’m Not Ashamed’: Film Review, hollywoodreporter.com, USA, OCTOBER 21, 2016
  5. ↑ The Martyrs of Columbine: Faith and the Politics of Tragedy pp. 141-142
  6. ↑ Baugh, Brian (October 17, 2016). "'I'm Not Ashamed' Director Why His Movie Isn't 'Christian' Just Because the Lead Character Is (Guest Blog)". TheWrap . Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Christian Film Stirs Controversy over Columbine Massacre". The Hollywood Reporter . October 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Columbine High School Records | Jefferson County, CO". www.jeffco.us. Archived from the original on March 18, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Through the Eyes of Survivors". denverpost.com. June 13, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  10. ↑ Ong, Czarina (October 5, 2016). "Mother Of Christian Girl Killed By Columbine Shooters Says She Has Forgiven Killers And Only Has 'Respect' For Dylan Klebold's Mom". Christianity Today . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  11. ↑ "After Columbine, martyrdom became a powerful fantasy for Christian teenagers". April 20, 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 Bond, Paul (September 30, 2016). "Filmmakers Accuse YouTube of Anti-Christian Bias After Trailer is Blocked". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  13. ↑ Savitsky, Sasha (October 1, 2016). "YouTube blocked trailer for Christian movie 'I'm Not Ashamed' for months, film execs say". Fox News . Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ Ja, ich glaube : Rachel Joy Scott musste sterben, weil sie offen zu ihrem Glauben stand. Dies ist die Geschichte ihres Lebens. WorldCat. OCLC   1012497745.
  15. ↑ Je n'ai pas honte. WorldCat. OCLC   1182580334.
  16. ↑ "I'm Not Ashamed (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  17. ↑ "I'm Not Ashamed (2016)". Metacritic . Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  18. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (October 21, 2016). "I'm Not Ashamed review - Faith-based drama exploits Columbine tragedy". The Guardian . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  19. ↑ Rizov, Vadim (October 21, 2016). "I'm Not Ashamed blames Columbine on Darwin". The A.V. Club . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ Murray, Noel (October 21, 2016). "Columbine setting inevitably casts a shadow over 'I'm Not Ashamed'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  21. ↑ Luke, Thompson (October 23, 2016). "I'm Not Ashamed To Like Some Aspects Of This Faith-Based Columbine Movie". Forbes . Retrieved July 29, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.