Director: Keith Maitland
Writer : Sarah Wilson
Genre: Animation
Country: USA
Duration: 82 Minutes
🔸 Tower is a serious and carefully handled documentary about the 1966 mass shooting at the University of Texas. The film tells the story through the voices of survivors, witnesses, and people who tried to help, focusing on their memories rather than the attacker. The plot moves slowly through the events of that day, showing confusion, fear, and long moments of waiting. The film avoids sensationalism and never tries to shock. Its goal is clearly to remember and understand, not to exploit tragedy.
🔸 The use of animation is one of the film’s most important choices. Rotoscope style animation recreates memories instead of using graphic real footage. This approach feels respectful and thoughtful, allowing the film to show chaos and danger without being visually overwhelming. At the same time, this controlled style sometimes creates emotional distance. While the fear and tension are present, the animation keeps things restrained, making some moments feel slightly muted rather than raw. The voice performances, taken directly from survivors, are honest and emotionally grounded, giving the film its human core.
🔸 What Tower does best is focus on people rather than violence. It shows courage, confusion, and ordinary individuals trying to help in an impossible situation. The tone remains calm and measured throughout, even during the most intense moments. This restraint makes the film respectful, but it also limits how deeply it hits emotionally. The ending is quiet and reflective, encouraging thought rather than forcing emotion. Tower is an important and well crafted documentary, meaningful and thoughtful, even if it does not fully overwhelm on an emotional level.
Verdict: Good
DC Rating: 3.75/5
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