Blackbird

2013 • 106 minutes

About this movie

BLACKBIRD is a film about a troubled teen, Sean Randall, who moves to the small town of Bridgewater, where his gothic style immediately sets him at odds with the community, and he is falsely accused of planning a Columbine-style shooting scenario. It all begins when an unlikely bond forms between Sean (Connor Jessup, FALLING SKIES) and a preppy teenage girl named Deanna Roy (Alexia Fast, JACK REACHER). Deanna's boyfriend is deeply threatened by Sean and Deanna's friendship, resulting in a violent confrontation. Seeking to protect himself, Sean issues a death threat online -- and is swiftly arrested. When the police raid Sean's home, they find rifles, shotguns, knives and ammunition -- all property of Sean's father Ricky (Michael Buie, THE NEXT THREE DAYS), an avid hunter. They also find a fictional story of revenge containing a "hit list" with twenty names of people who have tormented Sean. The authorities and the media proclaim another Columbine has been narrowly averted, and soon Sean faces a terrifying imprisonment in a youth detention facility. Sean's only hope is to overcome his dark image, and prove his innocence to Deanna and to his community. BLACKBIRD is a film that explores the power, and the danger, of social media and bullying (online and otherwise), while showing that the worst prisons are often the ones we create for ourselves.