- Director: Todd Wiseman Jr.
- Writer: Todd Wiseman Jr.
- Stars: Kue Lawrence, Christina Brucato, Oscar Nuñez, Michael Sean Tighe, Jamad Mays
REVIEW
In the free state of Florida, school shootings are at an all-time high, and gun control is outlawed. To combat this, the Governor (Nuñez) has created the ‘School Duel’ – a competition that sets school students up against each other in a battle to the death. The winner will be deemed a ‘king’ whilst the losers will be called ‘martyrs’.
Samuel (Lawrence), a thirteen-year-old boy, hates school, is a target for bullies, and is dealing with grief from the death of his father. Feeling more and more alienated from all the things in his life and determined to do something, Samuel decides that he wants to compete in the School Duel. The students are sourced from all the schools across the state, chosen by former and current armed forces members and teachers, in Samuel’s case, a grizzled Army veteran Captain Stegmann (Tighe) and his P.E teacher Coach Williams (Mays), both men that Samuel admires in his search for a father figure. The schools put forward appropriate candidates (read possible school shooters) for the competition.
Playing at the Fantasia International Film Festival, The School Duel is so dystopian that it almost veers into satire, which is a scary thought because it’s only a few very believable leaps from the current reality. Writer and director Wiseman cynically sets out the rules of this world, violence is a daily and accepted occurrence (Samuel says to his mother whilst he is watching a video – ‘Don’t worry it’s just violence, not sex’), the cult like religious fervour and the love of the gun, all before dumping the audience headfirst into the competition. It’s very effective as we get to see things from Samuel’s point of view before the competition and then the world of the School Duel is explored and we see events with a wider scope, once we’re in the competition.
The School Duel covers ground and themes that similar films (Battle Royale, Hunger Ganes) have, but Wiseman Jr has kept this film grounded in a place that feels unnervingly familiar. The kids are sacrificed on the altar of politics and, of course, entertainment as the competition is televised. The film is shot in black and white which serves as a reminder that there is no real joy whilst you are trapped in this world but the film does have a short colour segment, that is very effective in terms of contrast and meaning. The School Duel doesn’t let the audience off lightly, but it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch that it was after.
Played at Fantasia International Film Festival
Ryan Morrissey-Smith
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