I'm Not Ashamed is a 2016 Christian drama film produced by Pure Flix Entertainment starring Masey McLain. It is a biographic film, but many creative freedoms had to be taken because the details surrounding the protagonist's death in the 1999 Columbine Massacre are unconfirmed.
The movie follows the story of Rachel Joy Scott (McLain), the first victim of said shooting. However, the movie focuses on her religious journey towards becoming a stronger believer in Christianity and how it affects her life and the people around her.
This film contains examples of:
- Artistic License – History:
- The film suggests that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed Rachel because she tried to minister to them, even going so far as to taunt her about her beliefs before killing her. This may or may not have occurred. Although peer Brooks Brown confirmed that Klebold and Harris had disdain towards organized religion, the actual circumstances of her death are unclear because Richard Castaldo, the boy who was shot next to her, gave conflicting accounts of what happened; first saying that they did taunt her, then saying that he couldn't remember, and then saying that they did taunt her again.
- In real life, Rachel took Caucasian student Nick as her date to the prom before the shooting. In the movie, Rachel takes Asian-American student Kevin as her prom date.
- Eric and Dylan are portrayed as console gamers, whereas they preferred to game on the PC in real life. They're also depicted playing Halo, despite the twin facts that they were avid fans of Doom and that Halo wouldn't be released until 2001, a full two years after the Columbine massacre. They also appear to be playing it on a PS1.
- Rachel is shown to be killed by Eric using Dylan's TEC-9, but in real life she was killed by Eric using his Hi-Point 995.
- Rachel's suicide attempt. In the movie she's depicted as trying to jump off a building to kill herself, but according to her friend Mark Pettit, she intended to use carbon monoxide poisoning. (The book Rachel's Tears makes no mention of a suicide attempt of any kind.)
- Boom, Headshot!: How Rachel goes out.
- Bullying a Dragon: The jocks of Columbine seem to center their harassment on Eric and Dylan. Anyone who knows the true story knows this doesn't end well.
- Bungled Suicide: Rachel, following her breakup with Alex.
- Driven to Suicide: Rachel, Eric, and Dylan, naturally, though we don't see it in the film.
- Domestic Abuser: Downplayed. Rachel's boyfriend Alex. He cheats on his partner and picks a fight with another guy without regard of his partner's feelings.
- Downer Ending: Columbine high school students get slaughtered in cold blood.
- Establishing Character Moment: When we're first introduced to Rachel, she's shown greeting a mentally disabled student warmly. When we're introduced to Eric and Dylan, they're shown taunting her over it.
- Foregone Conclusion: Anybody that knows about the Columbine shooting knows that Rachel will be dead by the end of the movie. And even if you didn't, the foreshadowing will make it crystal clear.
- Foreshadowing: An insane amount, as every other line toward the end of the film carries the implication that Rachel will die soon.
- Heel–Face Turn: By the end of the movie, the Jerk Jock bullies are shown becoming better people thanks to Rachel's influence.
- Hollywood Atheist: Dylan and Eric are both atheists (anti-theists to be more precise). According to Brooks Brown's book No Easy Answers, the pair did harbor antipathy toward organized religion and the Basement Tapes include derisive remarks about God, but it's impossible to know whether the two were atheists. The scene where they taunt Rachel for her religious faith in the school stairway was created for the film.
- Jerk Jock: A whole gang full.
- Meaningful Background Event: Near the end of the movie, while Rachel is talking with a friend outside the school, you can see Dylan and Eric walking across the parking lot toward them...
- New Media Are Evil: While the film isn't as heavy-handed as others in the Pure Flix catalog, it does blame violent video games for the shooting much like many moral guardians do in real life.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Georgian Masey McLain's Southern accent slips out at times while playing the Coloradan Scott.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Eric and Dylan talk about killing people who are disabled, denigrate Rachel for her Christian faith, and idolize the Nazis.
- Real-Person Cameo: The real Rachel Scott's brother, Craig, appears briefly in the movie as a convenience store clerk.
- Shown Their Work: The film's Eric drives the same model of car (a 1980s Honda Prelude) that the real Eric did, and the guns that he and Dylan use are the same models (Hi-Point 995, TEC-9, Stevens 67, Savage 311) that the duo used in real life. Pretty impressive, considering that they only appear in the film briefly and that there are documentaries which didn't portray those correctly.
- Teens Are Monsters:
- The Jerk Jock bullies of Columbine are relentless.
- Of special note, with no explanation needed, Eric and Dylan.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Alluded to as being an influence for the massacre. In a brief scene, Eric is shown taking an interest in history class only when the teacher starts talking about Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust. In the next scene, Eric is shown ranting about how disabled people should be exterminated. Later on, during the planning of the killing spree, Eric is doing fascist salutes and shouting "Heil Hitler!".
- Troubled, but Cute: Rachel has her moments. Her friend Celene also counts.
- Where's the Kaboom?: Eric and Dylan's cafeteria bombs fail, causing them to resort to an aimless shooting spree.
