
While the rest of Run Amok doesn’t hit quite as hard as this particular scene, its unsettling atmosphere lingers throughout the film. What’s striking is that the adults are the ones most deeply affected by the tragedy, not the children—even Meg, who eventually learns she was at school during the shooting. The teachers carry orange toy guns and some are disturbingly quick to use them. Mr. Hunt, the woodworking teacher (Bill Camp), obsessively shoots at squirrels to protect the birds in a birdhouse he built, a heavy-handed symbol that becomes even more obvious as the film goes on. Mr. Shelby (Patrick Wilson), who lost his hand and killed the shooter, is overly supportive of Meg, seemingly trying to atone for what he feels he failed to prevent. Ultimately, all the adults are haunted by their inability to protect the children.