Parkland Shooting Movie is “Too Soon” For Victims of Massacre

by Sharon Aron Baron October 13, 2018

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By: Sharon Aron Baron

After the massacre that killed 17, injured 17, and shook residents to their core, barely any time has passed to grieve and process the shocking terror of that day.

Now through a documentary hitting theaters only eight months later, the victims and their families can relive the horror once more.

Six weeks ago, filmmaker Charlie Minn was already posting trailers to the film – a film created using photos videos and the victim’s recollection at the scene, which would be the worst day 17 families would ever experience.

In the movie “Parkland: Inside Building 12” Minn offers a minute-by-minute account of the shooting, and includes cellphone video along with interviews with students, teachers and first responders.

Minn told South Florida, “People won’t be able to understand what those kids went through unless they see it.”

But Annabel Claprood who experienced the trauma first-hand won’t go.

“I won’t watch it – I can’t even watch the trailer,” she said.

Claprood who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, said she had a panic attack just by seeing faces of the victims on the screen at the recent Action For Change event in Parkland.

She was on the first floor in building 12 in the first room and had just walked down the stairwell from the second floor to her classroom located next to the stairs when the shooter came through shortly after her.

“If I was in one classroom down I wouldn’t be talking to you. I didn’t even have my phone. It was near the door on my desk, since we ran to the corner and hid.”

She said that “it’s definitely way too soon” to see something like this but said it may be good for the next generation to help school safety.

Some of her friends said it wasn’t a good idea and that they were exploiting what happened that day, but she understands that those who were interviewed for the film were there willingly, and not forced.

Stephen Feuerman whose daughter was in the 10th grade at Marjory Stoneman Douglas during the school shooting said he won’t see the movie.

“Hell no. I have no interest. I think the world already knows – as conveyed by the kids and people like Manuel [Oliver] and Fred [Guttenburg] what we went through to show the graphic incident on a big screen.”

When the film debuted in New York, proceeds benefitted the Scott Beigel Memorial Foundation. However, no proceeds from ticket sales for the week-long screenings in South Florida will go to the victim’s families or their children’s charities which upset Feuerman.

“And not to share the proceeds with the victims is a shame. I, for one, being from here can’t see myself seeing that movie ever.”

Parkland resident Steve Noyola agreed. “If anyone is or has made money off this tragedy, they are disgusting. This is not what our community needs right now.”

Claprood said we don’t mentally want to see it and we don’t want to relive it.

“It would be putting me back in the 1200 building on 2/14.”