THE SCHOOL DUEL
Todd Wisemen Jr.’s heart-pounding feature debut, THE SCHOOL DUEL, gets its Canadian premiere at Fantasia 2025. Set in near-future Florida, they have outlawed gun control, and school shootings are at an all-time high. Students wear uniforms with patches on the shoulders. The emblem: a cross overlaid on top of the Liberty Bell. Hyper toxic masculinity is the curriculum. School is a training ground for far-right indoctrination.
Bullied 13-year-old student Sam Miller is the lowest rung on the school totem pole. Relentlessly harassed and physically abused, his only refuge is doom-scrolling through a list of Andrew Tate-like influencers, Call of Duty, and cosplaying with the contents of the gun safe at home.
Sam sees a video about something called School Duel, a government-run initiative where a group of militant children are used as props to promote gun sales, while calling it an outlet to prevent school shootings. The last one standing gets crowned King. This year, Sam’s county is hosting the event. The government comes into his school and selects him to participate. Eager to prove his worth in the wake of his military father’s death, Sam cannot wait to sign the papers. What he doesn’t know is that he’s a martyr, and not a hero.
The entire scheme is broadcast live at home and at school. There is no denying the similarities to Battle Royale and The Hunger Games, which is a compliment. It’s all a show, presented in rounds, each with a different gun chosen by chance on a prize wheel. Unsurprisingly, the game is rigged.
Oscar Nuñez plays Florida Governor, and he lives the role. AR and flag pin, flowery bullshit speech while saying the opposite behind closed doors. Christina Brucato is Sam’s mother. Never without her cross around her neck, her passive efforts to protect her son look all too familiar. Brucato gives her a passionate redemption arc.
Jamad Mays is Sam’s gym teacher, Coach Williams. Coach is the one redeeming character in the film, and Mays delivers much-needed fatherly concern and moral ferocity. Michael Sean Tighe plays School Duel recruiter, Captain Stegmann. His emboldened part in this charade makes him vile. Tighe brilliantly plays the role of sycophant, mascot, and hype man. It is an unforgettable turn.
Kue Lawrence gives Sam a terrifying authenticity. He is mesmerizing. Lawrence’s enthusiasm is matched only by deep trauma. It is a chilling performance.
The funny thing about THE SCHOOL DUEL is that it is not funny after all. An image of a neighbor in a wife-beater mowing his lawn with an AR-style weapon slung over his shoulder might seem like tongue-in-cheek. But, how many times have we seen these same idiots wearing a gun into a Dunkin’s? I forgot how dangerous Donuts are.
The small details are glaring alarm bells. Mothers and teachers dressed like 50s housewives. The Duel cheerleaders, yes, cheerleaders, are also in 50s uniforms. Oh, and their cheers? Wow. To counter that visual, Wisemen Jr. has Sam using an updated, clear-screened smartphone as a reminder that we are, in fact, on the doorstep of this reality. The black-and-white camerawork is fantastic. Kyle Deitz utilizes first-person shooter style imagery through the use of live-stream body cams during gameplay.
Somehow, even knowing where the script is going, witnessing the duel is a visceral experience. The finale is heart-stopping. If you think it is not possible to root for a winner by the end, think again. The film is a simmering pot of violence. It is almost a how-to guide to finding school shooters by not protecting the bullied children or teaching empathy.
THE SCHOOL DUEL is a parade of oversized red flags. The film tackles violent video games, toxic social media influence, faux patriotism, and the bastardization of Christianity, so essentially, it’s a film about today. We cannot take our eye off the kids. Every woman who cried on election night 2016 knows exactly what I mean.
The School Duel trailer:
Official selection
Deauville Film Festival 2024
Miami Film Festival 2025
Sunscreen Film Festival 2025
The School Duel
Honors
50th Anniversary Canal+ Award – Deauville Film Festival 2024
Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay – Sunscreen Film Festival 2025
The School Duel
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