Oscar-Shortlisted ‘All The Empty Rooms’ Explores the Aftermath of School Shootings

In the unsettling documentary All the Empty Rooms, directed by Joshua Seftel, the haunting remnants of children’s lives lost to school shootings are presented with profound sensitivity. Items like purple hair ties draped over door handles, SpongeBob plush toys on beds, and unicorn figurines paint a vivid picture of innocence cut short.

Seftel highlighted that the film’s contributing parents chose to share their stories to ensure their children’s memories endure. "For the parents, all of them agreed to participate because they live to tell the story of their children and they live to make sure their children are never forgotten," he explained during a recent discussion at Vista House in Los Angeles.

The documentary originated from the work of CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman, who has long focused on heartfelt feature stories. Notably, Hartman has reported on school shootings since 1997, a landscape that has evolved dramatically, with annual incidents rising from 17 to 132. All the Empty Rooms follows Hartman as he visits the homes of the slain children, accompanied by photographer Lou Bopp, who documents the intimate details of their bedrooms.

One poignant example shared by Seftel involves a neglected toothpaste tube in a child’s bathroom, left uncapped. "A child who had rushed to school thinking, ‘I’ll put that on later,’ and never came home," he recounted.

Bopp emphasizes the importance of showing respect to the grieving families. "They trusted us," Bopp said about the invitation to photograph their children’s rooms. "I did everything I could to treat it with the utmost respect."

The film’s approach is minimalist, a conscious choice guided by a desire to respect the families’ space. "The key was to keep it really simple. We wanted to have a very light footprint," Seftel remarked. With a small crew, they avoided intrusive equipment changes, aiming to blend seamlessly into the surroundings.

The documentary has garnered critical acclaim, winning Best Documentary Short at the recent Cinema Eye Honors in New York, among other accolades. Its executive producers include notable figures such as Lisa Cortés and Adam McKay.

Crucially, the film chooses not to explicitly address the political discourse surrounding gun violence. "The word ‘gun’ is never said in this film," Seftel noted. Instead, the focus remains on the real lives affected: "Everyone agrees that you send your kid to school, they should be safe. And that’s simple."

All the Empty Rooms reminds viewers that the impact of gun violence transcends statistics, revealing the empty bedrooms where vibrant lives once thrived.