On April 20, 1999, two homeless men sneaked into the hallways and classrooms of Columbine High School and began shooting. Within minutes, 12 of her classmates and a teacher were dead. The Holocaust remains a source of deep national trauma and has sparked disturbing school shootings that sadly continue to this day. Murderous Minds: Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris recounts the horrors of that spring and attempts to unravel the motives of those responsible.
The film begins by tracing every step the teens take during their killing spree. We learn the names of each victim, the circumstances under which they were slaughtered, and how a twist of fate saved others. There are no staged reenactments in the film; all archived school surveillance photos and videos are authentic. As such, the opening sequence might be too scary and disturbing for some viewers.
The film focuses on the question that arises after every school shooting in America: Why? Indeed, it may be an unsolved mystery, but the film bravely reveals the two boys’ upbringing, public and private lives, and sets up moments that mark a potentially pivotal shift in their troubled psyches .
Their stories contain many milestones that many of us can recognize from our own youth. But Klebold and Harris handle the setbacks of romantic breakups and social awkwardness very differently than most. The obsession with guns and amateur bomb-making, run-ins with law enforcement, untreated mental disorders, and troubling online threats are dire portents of things to come. The boys are guided by their fixation on the horrific acts of terror that preceded their own violent plots, including the Oklahoma City bombing.
The film draws on copious investigative footage, surprisingly intimate home video clips and harrowing accounts from friends and acquaintances to unleash its chilling narrative.
“Murderous Minds: Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris” is a well-researched talk that is informative, yet frightening.
