Fran Kranz has spent the last 20 years working as an actor across film, TV and stage. You might remember him from his role as Topher Brink in sci-fi series Dollhouse or as the final guy Marty in 2011 horror-comedy The Cabin in the Woods. Now the American actor has decided to get behind the camera to write, produce and direct his very first feature film.

Mass is a poignant drama about a pair of grieving parents who sit down to discuss the mass shooting they lost both their sons to. With the bulk of the film taking place in one room, there’s a theatre-like feel to the performances so it’s no wonder he cast some of the best stage actors around. Reed Birney and Ann Dowd play one couple while Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton play the other in this tense examination of grief, pain, anger associated with one of the most horrific subjects that continues to cast a shadow over American society.

Here critic and host Hanna Flint talks to Fran Kranz about making this his directorial debut.

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