LFF 2013: Parkland ***

Writer-director Peter Landesman’s Parkland gives another relatively new angle on tragic events following the death of US President John F Kennedy on 22^nd November 1963 in Dallas, Texas, offering the hospital portrayal at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. It’s a solid piece of drama set to provoke the same disbelief from those who remember on the day and those too young to.

There are some equally solid performances from the likes of Paul Giamatti as Abraham Zapruder, the businessman who unwittingly took film camera footage of the fateful moment the bullet hit, allowing Giamatti ample leeway to expertly express Zapruder’s emotional arc, and James Badge Dale as Oswald’s stoic older brother, Robert, who faces the firing line. That said there is little actual fact to add to the whole historical account, just intriguing suggested reaction from the Oswald family to the news.

One such account is a possible police station confrontation between the Oswald brothers (Lee Harvey played by Jeremy Strong), which makes for a compelling story balance of opinion, also laying bare the writer-director’s thoughts on the alleged mystery surrounding who really shot JFK. This is very telling in Landesman’s ending, which is devoted to the Oswald family’s grief of being put in a compromising position and inviting empathetic after-thought on subsequent future repercussions on them.

Landesman skillfully concentrates on and depicts mounting chaos at Parkland, from the moment the President is brought in, and the confusion and disbelief of all staff involved, to the time of death and ludicrous legal and administrative obstacles that follow. Landesman’s peaks and troughs (being the characters’ reflections) drive the plot forward, keeping the energy flowing. The camera mimics, with vigorous momentum that sweeps you up in proceedings then pauses for the cold-hearted and clinical truth to seep in. The harrowing scene of the former President’s body being roughly loaded onto Airforce One by shocked staff is one prime example.

The next wave of action comes after Oswald’s shooting and the fascinating reaction from the same surgical team tasked with saving the President. The medical ensemble is where top-billed Zac Efron fits in as resident Dr Charles ‘Jim’ Carrico. Although commendable, the star billing is misleading as he shares as much screen time as Colin Hanks playing Carrico’s superior who deserves just as much acclaim. Landesman has drawn on a fine pool of acting talent that means all involved should take some credit.

In short, neatly produced Parkland has some compelling and fine performances and gives more exposure to the Oswald Family, but adds nothing groundbreaking in terms of investigative fact. It would be at home on the small screen too, though rightfully takes its place alongside other notable films on the topic that bolster the overall screen offering on one of the USA’s most charismatic leaders.

3/5 stars

By @FilmGazer

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