Join us Thursday, August 3, at 7 p.m., in Governor State University’s F1622 Amphitheater, for the last Summer Showcase film screening featuring Chicago filmmaker, John Mossman’s “Good Guy with a Gun,” followed by a live, in-person Q&A with the filmmaker himself! This fiction narrative film will have you on the edge of your seat!
Directed by Chicago-based filmmaker John Mossman, this is a coming-of-age action thriller following a boy and his mother’s arrival into a small town, as their fractured relationship is widened by his deepening journey into gun culture, followed by his desperate efforts to reverse course when he discovers the dangerous direction he is headed.
Challenging the black and white concept of good guy/bad guy, the story explores the complex gray area lacking in the current American dialogue surrounding not just guns but many aspects of life deserving of a more nuanced discussion. In the end, will this fractured family (similar to our American family) succeed at repairing itself, bearing greater wisdom moving forward, and at what cost?
From the Director: “Families have always had their challenges. Teenagers will rebel. Parents will split. Loved ones will die. Together, we worked through the problems and the grief. But the new political landscape has driven a steel wedge between loved ones and the issues families have dealt with for decades that are now magnified by politicians and a media eager to profit – the result being an inability to connect with some of the most important people in our lives. A type of jet fuel being added to this fire is the emotionally charged issue of guns, which combined with stoked elements of masculinity, fear, and frustration, has created an explosive new cocktail pouring through the veins of our nation; one that unfortunately shows no sign of abating as we witness the continued radicalization of young men and the polarizing nature of the gun debate.
“Despite the blowback they might face, many responsible gun owners are ready to acknowledge the sickness of gun worship and the fallacy of the apocalyptic ‘Good guy with a Gun’ worldview that has gained so much traction of late. With this film, I hope to explore the danger and, at times, the appeal of going down this path, and the extraordinary difficulty of turning back – and ultimately the enduring power of family to see us through dark times.”
Hope to see you there!