Imagine walking into a child’s bedroom, untouched since the day they left for school—never to return. This is the haunting reality captured in All the Empty Rooms, an Oscar-shortlisted documentary that lays bare the spaces left behind by school shootings. Purple hair ties dangling from a doorknob, SpongeBob plush toys neatly arranged on a bed, and unicorn figurines gathering dust—these are the relics of childhoods cut short, preserved by parents who cannot bear to disturb them. It’s a silent testament to lives lost and grief that lingers, and it’s the heart of this powerful film directed by Joshua Seftel.
But here’s where it gets even more poignant: these rooms aren’t just spaces—they’re shrines to innocence stolen. Parents of these murdered children agreed to open their homes and hearts, not for fame, but to ensure their children’s stories are never forgotten. ‘Our missions were aligned,’ Seftel explained during a Q&A in Los Angeles. ‘They live to tell the story of their children.’
The project began with CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman, known for his heartfelt stories, but this time tackling a far darker subject. Since he first reported on a school shooting in 1997, the number of such tragedies has skyrocketed from 17 to 132 per year. All the Empty Rooms follows Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they visit these sacred spaces, capturing the mundane yet deeply moving details—a toothpaste tube left uncapped, a hoodie tossed over a chair—that speak volumes about the lives abruptly halted.
And this is the part most people miss: the reverence with which the filmmakers approached this project. Bopp removed his shoes before entering each room, a small but profound act of respect. ‘They trusted us,’ he said of the parents. Seftel echoed this sentiment, emphasizing their ‘light footprint’—using zoom lenses instead of prime lenses to avoid disruptions, keeping the crew minimal, and letting the parents’ stories guide the narrative.
The film’s score, composed by Alex Somers, is equally restrained. ‘We kept subtracting and subtracting until there was just the most minimal pieces,’ Seftel explained. ‘We never wanted people to feel like they were being told what to feel.’ This philosophy extends to the film’s stance on politics—the word ‘gun’ is never uttered, deliberately avoiding the divisive debates that often overshadow the human cost of gun violence.
But here’s the controversial question: Can a film about school shootings truly remain apolitical? Seftel argues that the focus should be on the undeniable truth: children should be safe at school. Yet, by sidestepping the word ‘gun,’ does the film risk sanitizing a crisis that demands urgent action? Or does it create a space for unity by centering on shared grief rather than division?
All the Empty Rooms is now streaming on Netflix, having already won accolades at festivals like Cinema Eye Honors, SCAD Savannah, and the Hamptons International Film Festival. With executive producers like Adam McKay and NBA coach Steve Kerr backing the project, it’s clear this film is more than a documentary—it’s a call to remember, to reflect, and to question. What do you think? Can a film about such a polarizing issue truly transcend politics, or is it impossible to separate the two? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s keep this conversation going.
