Tower (2016)

Review

Keith Maitland is the documentarian behind this elegant and artistic rendition of the University of Texas tower shooting back in 1966, seen and told from the perspective of various victims, bystanders and, ultimately, heroes. Maitland's trick is to use animated versions of reenactments of interviews with and actions by the people involved, which – perhaps surprisingly – creates a closeness between us and the 1966 version of these people which elevates the drama and the tension effectively. Towards the end of their stories, Maitland cleverly merges to their present day faces and voices, creating a time portal between then and now. It all fits quite nicely with his otherwise straight-forward and not too intrusive interviewing techniques. If there's anything missing, it is an account of the perpetrator, but interested parties will find out about him for themselves.