Tower
An innovative animated documentary reconstructs the 1966 University of Texas Tower shooting through eyewitness memories of terror, sacrifice, and communal bravery.
Overview
A gripping animated documentary that reveals the heroism that emerged from tragedy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- sensitive
- urgent
- serious documentary viewing
- history discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's sensitive, graceful, and uniquely cinematic reconstruction of a painful chapter in American history.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film combines interview-based recollections with rotoscoped and animated depictions of the University of Texas Tower shooting.
Claire Wilson James, Allen Crum, Houston McCoy, Ramiro Martinez, Rita Starpattern, and others supply distinct perspectives on the same day.
The narrative emphasizes how students, civilians, and first responders helped one another during the attack.
The 1966 university massacre is treated as an early watershed in American school and campus shooting history.
Films like Tower, and why
The Act of Killing
historical documentary testimony, collective trauma, and a formally distinctive visual approach
Waltz with Bashir
sensitive historical reconstruction using dramatized testimony and inventive documentary form
Bowling for Columbine
archival or testimonial examination of American violence and its social aftermath
Movie Details
- Director
- Keith Maitland
- Release Date
- 2016-03-13
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (210)
Cast
- Violett Beane
- Chris Doubek
- Blair Jackson
- Louie Arnette
- Josephine McAdam
- Aldo Ordoñez
- Seamus Bolivar-Ochoa
- Monty Muir
- Cole Bee Wilson
- Vicky Illk
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Tower about?
- An innovative animated documentary reconstructs the 1966 University of Texas Tower shooting through eyewitness memories of terror, sacrifice, and communal bravery.
- What is Tower like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Tower as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Tower violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Tower as graphic.
- What did critics think of Tower?
- Critics broadly praised the film's sensitive, graceful, and uniquely cinematic reconstruction of a painful chapter in American history.
- Which films are like Tower?
- Films with a similar feel include The Act of Killing, Waltz with Bashir, and Bowling for Columbine.
- How long is Tower?
- Tower runs 82 minutes.
- Where can I watch Tower?
- In United States, Tower streams on Kino Film Collection.
