ADO (dir. Sam Henderson)

By: Adam Freed

As disgusting as it may sound, gun violence in schools has become nearly as synonymous with the American way of life as apple pie.  Despite this shadowy threat, schools across the massive expanse of the United States are full of compassionate and heartfelt teachers, who every morning light the flame of opportunity for the next generation of growing minds.  This is certainly the case within Ms. Hopkins’ middle school theater classroom, an unassuming auditorium whose threadbare seats face a small dark stage adorned with predictable lighting and a red velvet curtain.   More unexpectedly in ADO, a poignant short film from writer and director Sam Henderson (Con Alma), is how impactfully the film’s heartbeat Ms. Hopkins, captured exquisitely by Jenifer Lewis (Black-ish, The Princess and the Frog), lets loose a stunning performance, dripping with courage and compassion, and effectively catapults Henderson’s short film into the realm of  shorts that are both memorable and emotionally evocative.  

As Hopkins’ class dotingly battles through its final dress rehearsals of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, they are interrupted by an unthinkable public address announcement throwing the small collection of youngsters into momentary chaos.  As the events of ADO begin to spiral out of control, its star Jenifer Lewis grabs hold of her surroundings, and Henderson’s film, with a remarkable stabilizing grace.  Acting as a defender and a mother-figure, Ms. Hopkins stares into the eyes of the unthinkable as an aged educator predernaturally acting in defense of humanity.  What separates ADO from other films that have taken on the challenge of depicting school violence is that Sam Henderson leaves room for his central character to recognize the humanity in the fractured person at the root of the film’s crisis.  Ultimately, ADO presents audiences with a devastating scenario, a career-defining performance by Jenifer Lewis, and a powerful reminder that the best of humanity can be present in both people, and films, of all shapes and sizes.

Target Score: 8.5/10  With his powerful short film ADO, writer and director Sam Henderson offers forth a meaningful commentary on the state of school violence in America and the requisite compassion needed to counteract its impact.