The new film MASS from t-time writer/director Fran Kranz features one of the best ensemble casts seen in motion pictures in many years. Reed Birney and Ann Dowd found most of their fame in the New York theater, while Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton cut their acting teeth mostly in films. It doesn’t matter where they honed their skills. Brought together, these fine actors have, for the most part, wiped everyone else out of the running for Oscars®. Any one, or all, could win the gold statue for their performances.

Because of the subject matter, this is a grave, breath-taking look at a tragedy that has befallen both families. They have gathered in an Episcopal church in Sun Valley, Idaho to discuss what happened to their sons and how it has shattered all their lives.

Richard’s (Birney) and Linda’s (Dowd) disturbed son massacred students at school and killed the teen-aged son of Jay (Isaacs) and Gail (Plimpton). Both families were devastated by this event, and they have come together after the passage of several years to discuss the event and to air their grievances.

Director Kranz has chosen a spare, nearly empty room at the church for this gathering. Nothing will distract from the emotional outbursts , heart-wrenching sobs, and recriminations thrown about. The film is nearly representative of a stage play, but stops just short of being static.

The emotional scenes are impossible to describe in a review. All of the actors take the words from the script, turn them into extreme emotional set-pieces, and dominate the screen with lessons in realistic and superb acting.

Watching this film is not easy. It tears your heart into pieces for both families. It is worth the intended emotional upset for the viewer.

If you don’t cry through most of this film, you have a heart of stone.

(Released by Bleeker and rated “PG-13” by MPAA.)