UVALDE MOM
1 shooter. 77 minutes. 376 officers on sight. 21 lives gone. The Uvalde mass school shooting was one of the deadliest in the world. As gunfire rang out and the police didn’t move, the parents tried to get their children. Under the threat of arrest, one mother jumped the fence and got her kids out. UVALDE MOM is the story of national hero Angeli Rose Gomez and the community still fighting for justice through their grief.
Cell phone footage from Angeli and her mother shows the harassment by the police of the Robb Elementary School parents. Her escape with the boys was captured on surveillance footage. Her sons’ reactions as they reach safety across the street speak volumes. The trauma on their faces is still there today. The moment Angeli defied the police and told the world, the living nightmare only got scarier.
Civil Rights Attorney for the Institute for Justice, Marie Miller, breaks down the law surrounding the retaliation for Angeli speaking out about her experience. Angeli was pulled over on trumped-up charges, threatened, and stalked by police.
Uvalde is a small town in Texas. There is a clear socioeconomic divide within its borders. The Mexican-American population grew up understanding the invisible town line between the white part of town and everyone else.
The film dives into Angeli’s childhood and tumultuous relationship with her children’s father. Anyone in their right mind would see a victim of domestic abuse, but the fallout from her history gives vengeful police a twisted talking point.
The ever-evolving details of the shooting remain one of the most disgusting parts- The lack of action, cops on their phones, and the subsequent coverup and blame game. The 21 families of the victims advocate for new gun laws, but the backlash from the 2nd Amendment fans and Governor Gregg Abbott stalls any forward movement.
Meanwhile, out of the blue, Angeli is sent to a correctional facility 7 hours away from Uvalde for allegedly violating her parole. While there are zero consequences for the failed police, Angeli is served with an injustice the audience will feel in their bones.
The argument for gun safety seems like a no-brainer. But, like we’ve said in the past, if Sandy Hook didn’t move the needle, I’m not sure anything will. The desperation for change is real. I watched Columbine unfold in real-time as a senior in high school, practicing my first lockdown drill three days later. My two small children have been doing drills since they were two years old. This is not the life I ever imagined for any of us.
UVALDE MOM is hard to watch but vitally important. Something has to give. It should not be another child’s life.
Credits
Director: |
Anayansi Prado |
|---|---|
Executive Producer: |
Davis Guggenheim, Julie Parker Benello, James Costa, Rahdi Taylor, Patty Quillin |
Producer: |
Ina Fichman, Anayansi Prado, David Goldblum |
Screenwriter: |
Anayansi Prado, Pablo Proenza |
Cinematographer: |
E.J. Enríquez, M.J. Johnston |
Editor: |
Pablo Proenza |
Music: |
Ramachandra Borcar |
Principal Cast: |
Angeli Rose Gomez, Arnulfo Reyes, Tina Quintanilla, Lavonne De Leon |
UVALDE MOM follows the extraordinary story of Angeli Rose Gomez, a farm worker and single mother who risked everything to save her two sons during the May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX. While nearly 400 armed officers waited 77 minutes to act, Angeli ran into the school, pulled her children to safety, and became a viral symbol of courage. But as she spoke out against law enforcement’s inaction, she faced intense harassment from authorities, who weaponized her past to discredit and silence her.
From award-winning director Anayansi Prado (Maid in America, The Unafraid), UVALDE MOM is a powerful, heart-wrenching look at Angeli’s relentless fight for justice. As Uvalde confronts systemic failures and the U.S. Department of Justice launches an investigation, conflicting narratives emerge, deepening the town’s grief and anger. With the first anniversary of the tragedy approaching, Angeli must navigate the weight of what happened to her community while continuing her personal battle for truth and accountability.
Remaining SXSX screenings for UVALDE MOM:
PREMIERE: Monday, March 10 at 5:45 PM CT – Rollins Theatre at The Long Center
Tuesday, March 11 at 5:00 PM CT – AFS Cinema
Friday, March 14 at 6:00 PM CT – SXSW Film & TV Theater at the Hyatt Regency
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Evan Twohy was raised on Hitchcock and opera on the edge of a forest outside Berkeley, California. From an early age, he found himself drawn to absurdist theater and began writing plays in New York City prior to making his first feature, Bubble & Squeak.
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