Official Site of Marcia Gay Harden :: The Work

Guns affect the lives of diverse people across the country. In Chicago, a high-school principal (Forest Whitaker) deals with the proliferation of guns on campus. In Oregon, a depressed woman (Marcia Gay Harden) remains a pariah years after her son opened fire on fellow students. And in Virginia, the owner (Donald Sutherland) of a gun store finds difficulty connecting with his granddaughter.

Director: Aric Avelino

Roger Ebert Review - "American Gun" ***

"American Gun" tells three stories that are small, even quiet. The stories are not strident but sad, and one of them is open-ended. They are about people who find that guns in the hands of others have made their own lives almost impossible to live.
The first story involves a mother named Janet, played by Marcia Gay Harden, whose son shot and killed other students at his Oregon high school three years ago, and then was shot dead. She carries on with her remaining son, David (Chris Marquette), who attends a private school. She needs money. She agrees to a paid interview with a local television station, during which she seems inarticulate about her older son's rampage. Well, what can she say? Like other parents, she lost a child in the shooting. Perhaps it is harder to be the parent of a killer than the parent of a victim. Then David has to leave the private school and enroll in the very same school where his brother did the shooting.

2007 Independent Spirit Awards Noms

It comes as no surprise that leading this year’s pack of nominees are "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Half Nelson", but this year’s mix of contenders are a mixed breed coming from films that were showcased a little everywhere – including this year’s Sundance. And the 2007 Independent Spirit nominees are... Feature (Award given to the Producer) "American Gun," Ted Kroeber, producer "The Dead Girl," Tom Rosenberg, Henry Winterstern, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, Eric Karten, Kevin Turen, producers "Half Nelson," Jamie Patricof, Alex Orlovsky, Lynette Howell, Anna Boden, Rosanne Korenberg, producers"Little Miss Sunshine," Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, producers"Pan's Labyrinth," Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron, Frida Torresblanco, Alvaro Augustin, Guillermo Del Toro, producersFIRST Feature (Award given to the director and producer)"Day Night Day Night," Julia Loktev, director; Julia Loktev, Melanie Judd, Jessica Levin, producers"Man Push Cart," Ramin Bahrani, director; Ramin Bahrani.