Oscar Nominated Best Documentary Short Film

A painful watch, but in the best way possible. I caught myself breaking down into tears while in the break room at work. All the Empty Rooms is a powerful short documentary following CBS reporter Steve Hartman, who develops a story on the rooms of children who were victims in school shootings.

Hartman handles this in true Steve Hartman fashion, with the utmost respect. Hartman was the reporter who would develop stories that gave us faith in humanity, but he felt that there was no way to make a positive twist on school shootings. Which is why he takes a different approach, an approach we should all take. And that’s memorializing the children who were victims, instead of saying the name of the shooter. In this short documentary, Hartman talks with the families and takes images of various spots of these rooms. Each image tells the story of a soul that once called that place home.

Watching this documentary, it gave me a realization of the evil that exists in our world, and especially in my country of the United States. I cannot wrap my head around how someone can do such a thing, and that it’s a common occurrence that feels like it happens multiple times every year. How can there be that many people that want to murder innocent children? It’s haunting.

Oscar Nominated Best Documentary Short Film

A painful watch, but in the best way possible. I caught myself breaking down into tears while in the break room at work. All the Empty Rooms is a powerful short documentary following CBS reporter Steve Hartman, who develops a story on the rooms of children who were victims in school shootings.

Hartman handles this in true Steve Hartman fashion, with the utmost respect. Hartman was the reporter who would develop stories that gave us faith in humanity, but he felt that there was no way to make a positive twist on school shootings. Which is why he takes a different approach, an approach we should all take. And that’s memorializing the children who were victims, instead of saying the name of the shooter. In this short documentary, Hartman talks with the families and takes images of various spots of these rooms. Each image tells the story of a soul that once called that place home.

Watching this documentary, it gave me a realization of the evil that exists in our world, and especially in my country of the United States. I cannot wrap my head around how someone can do such a thing, and that it’s a common occurrence that feels like it happens multiple times every year. How can there be that many people that want to murder innocent children? It’s haunting.

Had to pause multiple times because I was crying my eyes out. This is so incredibly sad and powerful. Take 30 minutes to watch this and never allow yourself to become numb to the atrocities that happen all over the United States.

Had to pause multiple times because I was crying my eyes out. This is so incredibly sad and powerful. Take 30 minutes to watch this and never allow yourself to become numb to the atrocities that happen all over the United States.

the thought of school shootings being so prominent that we as an audience may grow numb to them horrifies me. i’ve never sobbed so much.

the thought of school shootings being so prominent that we as an audience may grow numb to them horrifies me. i’ve never sobbed so much.

Extremely impactful and moving. These are very important stories to tell and there must be change in our country. This doc should have never been made. But it is a beautiful piece of work.

Extremely impactful and moving. These are very important stories to tell and there must be change in our country. This doc should have never been made. But it is a beautiful piece of work.

The grief and sadness exemplified in this documentary is unquantifiable. Violence has become so accepted as a cornerstone of our society that we have genuinely reverted back to savagery. America is doomed.

The grief and sadness exemplified in this documentary is unquantifiable. Violence has become so accepted as a cornerstone of our society that we have genuinely reverted back to savagery. America is doomed.