‘Dead Deer High’ Review – A Quietly Devastating Portrait Of Grief And Healing [SXSW 2026]

There’s a quiet, almost fragile power in Dead Deer High—a film that honors grief and resilience in a way that feels completely real. In a world where school shootings have become heartbreakingly common, the story doesn’t shy away from the emotional aftermath of such tragedies. Instead, it immerses the audience in the ways trauma reverberates through people, spaces that should feel safe, and communities trying to find a path forward. Watching it is a reminder of how fragile safety can be, and how essential human connection and art are when the unthinkable happens.

At the center of the story is Mr. K (Zack Kozlow), a young teacher deeply shaken by the loss of a student in a school shooting. He no longer steps into the classroom, choosing instead to teach from outside the window. It’s a literal and symbolic barrier: a line between the world he once understood and the one that now feels impossibly altered. Kozlow’s performance is quietly devastating. Every glance and hesitant gesture carries the weight of a tragedy that cannot be neatly processed. He isn’t a character dramatized for effect; he is heartbreakingly human, navigating the impossible balance of processing his own grief while remaining present for his students.

Inside that classroom—or just beyond its glass panes—Stephanie (Kyla Brown) acts as the glue holding the team together. She is patient, empathetic, and grounded in a way that feels heroic precisely because it’s understated. She quietly witnesses, encourages, and nurtures rather than performing heroics. Then there’s JT (Holden Goyette) and Kyle (Christian Cruz), whose arguments and stubbornness could easily feel like typical teenage squabbles, except that the tension is layered with grief, confusion, and the lingering fear that a school shooting leaves behind. Their rehearsal room becomes more than a space for poetry—it’s a sanctuary, a place where words are lifelines and expression is survival.

The power of Dead Deer High lies in how it portrays the messy, nonlinear process of healing. Poetry isn’t just performance here—it is a lifeline. Each student finds their own way to navigate grief, whether through spoken word, quiet gestures, or subtle glances that carry more than words could. Jo Rochelle’s direction allows the audience to sit in that process without ever tidying it up for comfort. Pain, loss, and the awkward, halting steps toward recovery are given space to exist naturally. It’s both heartbreaking and beautiful—a reminder that trauma doesn’t fit neatly into a narrative, and neither does healing.

The film’s strength is also in its quiet restraint. Rochelle and writer Joshua Roark never sensationalize the shooting or lean on melodrama. Instead, the camera lingers on the human details—the fleeting moments of connection, the tension in a glance, the subtle gestures of grief and care. The pacing respects the emotional weight of the story, giving the audience time to feel alongside the characters and absorb the rawness of lives altered forever.

Dead Deer High also demonstrates the true power of art. The students’ slam poetry is more than a competition or school project; it becomes a conduit for expression, a way to make sense of grief, honor the missing, and feel something resembling hope. Watching these moments unfold is intimate and inspiring, a reminder that creativity can help process what feels unmanageable.

The performances across the board are quietly extraordinary. Kozlow, Brown, Goyette, and Cruz bring subtle texture and depth to their roles, grounding the story in realism and heart. Their portrayals feel lived-in and authentic—real people navigating the impossible, trying to reclaim meaning and connection in the aftermath of tragedy.

Ultimately, Dead Deer High is not a film about closure or easy resolutions. It’s about witnessing grief, the messy process of healing, and the ways people—especially young people—use art to navigate trauma. It is intimate, reflective, and quietly insistent, a film that reminds us that even in the shadow of school shootings, expression, connection, and resilience are possible.

Dead Deer High held its World Premiere as part of the Narrative Spotlight section of the 2026 SXSW TV & Film Festival. 

Director: Jo Rochelle

Screenwriter: Joshua Roark

Rated: NR

Runtime: 101m