RUSHED Film Review — A Mother’s Quest for Justice

In the dimness of early morning, Barbara O’Brien sets down a small statue of the Virgin Mary on her kitchen counter. It takes its place among the clutter beside a bottle of barbecue sauce and a green tupperware container. Barb, donned in a bathrobe and slippers, lights a red candle in the dark, presses her rosary into her palms, and begins her morning prayer. In the hush of the room, the lens slowly pushes in on her as words escape her lips in soft whispers. Suddenly, Barb is jolted from her concentration by the sound of her phone alarm going off. Her earnest prayers quickly mix with equally earnest swears as she rushes to the fridge to begin making her kids’ lunch, still whispering Hail Mary’s in between various swear words; then to the bottom of the stairs where she yells up at the kids to get ready for school. Chaos quickly descends on the house as the bustle of the morning begins. All the while, Barb puts forth a never-ending stream of advice and admonishments to her three children: in the kitchen, walking to the car, during the drive, as the kids get out of the car and walk into school.

As Barb bustles through this daily routine with her children, she pesters one of her kids to call their college-aged brother Jimmy to make sure he’s on his way to class. Little does she know, he’s about to be in a lot more trouble than she realizes, and may need some of those prayers.

Their voices are muffled as they speak to her, as if coming from a long distance away, unable to penetrate her grief. They shut the door, and the camera rests on Barb as she puts her head on a pillow and silently cries.

It is not until Barb begins learning of other parents whose children have suffered similar tragedies in college hazing incidents that we see her strength and stubbornness return once more. Once again, we find her praying in the early morning light, swearing as she is interrupted by her alarm, yelling upstairs for the kids to get up. Except this time, she is on a mission to find justice for her son. Barb’s journey takes many dark and unexpected turns and grabs us along for the ride.