Written by Sam Fuentes and directed by Kim A Snyder, Death By Numbers takes audiences through the emotional toll and experience of a school shooting.
On Feb. 14, 2018, Nicolas Cruz killed 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Florida. It was one of the deadliest shootings in the country’s history. Cruz was sentenced to life in prison in 2022, with no chance of parole. Sam Fuentes was part of the process.
The 33-minute documentary short made headlines after its Oscar nomination and is hoping to seal the deal in two weeks. Writing through the eyes of a survivor, Fuentes teamed up with Peabody award-winning filmmaker Kim A Snyder to set this project in motion. The film offers a personal and intimate look at Sam’s journey, delving into her emotional and psychological struggles after the tragedy.
One of the many common traits of a mass shooter is a thirst for power. Oftentimes, shooters study and even obsess over past massacres like Cruz did. As recently as Valentine’s Day, a copycat attack was thwarted after authorities discovered an Indiana teen obsessed over the Parkland shooting. In complete opposition to what’s been seen as the “new norm”, Fuentes powerfully and poetically conveys a message of anger, confidence, and a refusal to accommodate the shooter in any fashion. Proof of this was her courageous decision to confront her attacker in court, serving as a powerful testament to her strength and resilience.
“I was never good at math, but I remember every number,” said Sam. Numbers are used lyrically in the film. While quantifying gut-wrenching statistics like deaths, injuries, and suicides, it’s also carefully woven into a poem that’s recited throughout the movie. She juxtaposes the usage of numbers in equations and their meaning in stats, admitting while math may not be her cup of tea, she can never forget her room number (where the shooting happened), the time it took place, or the number of deaths that came with it.
Teachers play a huge role in children’s lives and can often prove pivotal in times such as these. The gunman broke into her Holocaust Studies class where teacher Ivy Schamis was instructing. The shooting brought the two closer and Schamis was present to support Fuentes behind the scenes and in court. The film used bits and pieces of what was learned in Schamis’ class (Hitler, KKK) and applied it to the present-day climate, providing background information and visuals. The class was too relevant, as the film noted the etched swastikas on Cruz’s AR-15.
The short doc starts from a low point and builds a steady crescendo, growing Sam’s confidence along with it. Kicking off with a bit of timidity, Fuentes battles through tough moments and grows into the young woman who stares down her assailant and shares a mic-drop-worthy anecdote before the court.
Death By Numbers gets a 9.5 out of 10. The film serves as a powerful call to action, advocating for stricter gun control and increased mental health support. Covering the face of the shooter (to start the film) to eventually staring him down while reading a statement was powerful imagery. Death By Numbers is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film alongside I Am Ready, Warden, Incident, Instruments of a Beating Heart, and The Only Girl in the Orchestra.
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-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of KA Snyder Productions
Genre: Documentary, Short
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 33 mins.
Trailer: None | Watch a film clip
U.S. Release Date: In select theaters