Thoughts & Prayers

This arresting yet sobering feature documentary captures the current landscape of safety rituals in schools and communities across America, where classrooms double as tactical training grounds, bullet-proof backpacks become armor, and conferences showcase the latest survival gadgets for a nation where mass shootings have become a part of everyday life. Equal parts absurd and unsettlingly real, the film traces the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry and its effect on students and educators, raising important questions about the unintended consequences of these intense preparations. In the absence of meaningful prevention efforts and gun reform, how far will Americans go to prepare for active shooters?