A new thriller starring Naomi Watts takes on a really tough topic, one of the hardest ever: school shootings. In “The Desperate Hour,” one mom does whatever she can to save her son, even if that means negotiating with the monster herself.
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare.
Character in “The Desperate Hour”: “Marion County has been placed on lockdown due to an ongoing incident.”
And, in “The Desperate Hour,” one mother’s terrifying reality.
Character in “The Desperate Hour”: “There are five people barricaded. Your son’s one of them, and so is the suspect.”
Naomi Watts plays Amy Carr, who’s mourning the loss of her husband one year ago.
Naomi Watts: “This is a regular mother who does a run here and there, and in this situation, she had to do more than she ever imagined.”
While she’s on a jog deep in the woods, her small town is thrown into absolute chaos after an active shooter takes control of her teenage son’s school.
Alex Miranda: “This topic is such a difficult topic for anybody to talk about, especially the people who have really first-hand experienced these horrific situations.”
Naomi Watts: “The hardest thing to get my head around is that, you know, you open up your news feed, and there’s another one and then another one, and it just keeps happening. Lives are being lost.”
Stranded and helpless, this mom takes matters into her own hands.
Naomi Watts (as Amy Carr): “My son is there with you.”
: “You’re lying. You’re the police.”
Naomi Watts (as Amy Carr): “No, I’m his mom.”
Thinking on her feet, literally running to the school almost the entire movie.
Alex Miranda: “This was a workout for you — physically, mentally, emotionally — I would imagine.”
Naomi Watts: “The body is a powerful thing, even at this point in my life, and it worked. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t, like, a marathon runner. It’s not like you just suddenly become a highly skilled runner.”
And Naomi, who has two beautiful kids with her ex-partner, Liev Schreiber…
Naomi Watts: “Mercifully, I’ve never been in a situation like this, but it certainly played out in my imagination more than a handful of times, you know, nightmares, where you don’t want to imagine this story.”
She knows, like Amy, that parental instinct to protect is just hard-wired in there.
Naomi Watts: “What takes over one in a dangerous situation where your kid is vulnerable is huge.”
“The Desperate Hour” starts Friday in theaters.
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