On November 20, Netflix released a short, 12-minute film titled "If Anything Happens, I Love You". It focuses on school shootings and how they affect the family in the film.
The film begins by showing a couple. They go about their day and do their chores. The mother sees a blue shirt in the laundry which reminds her of her daughter, presumably already dead. The film takes you through various scenes showing events from their daughter's life. Eventually, it ends with the couple dropping off their daughter at school.
Afraid, her parents' shadows try to keep her from attending school. Unaware of the future events, the daughter enters. The film then advances to the shooting. Black, red, and blue colors are shown on the screen while sirens, shots, and screams are heard. The daughter sends a text to her parents reading "If anything happens, I love you".
The film features no dialogue. The audio mostly contains music and the sirens, screams, and shots from the shooting. It also has a lack of color and the characters are often in negative space. It is meant to represent the emptiness in the parents after the loss of their daughter.
The film is not only emotionally powerful but it's also realistic. The film was directed and written by Michael Govier and Will McCormack. They met with families who have lost children due to gun violence and shootings. It was created to raise awareness on gun violence. Such shootings and events are common and so many families go through experiences like these.
Despite the heavy emotion and sadness of the film, it ends in a happy tone. The parents gradually overcome the loss of their daughter and find comfort in each other, overall bringing them closer together.
"If Anything Happens, I love you" is a beautiful, moving film that is definitely a quarantine must-watch.
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