Catching Bullets

In a city plagued by an epidemic of violence, a former drug dealer pledges to protect his late friend’s son from the dangers of the streets.

Catching Bullets follows Darren, a reformed ex-gangster whose life has been punctuated by the trauma of imprisonment and the impact of 13 bullets. Now at age 50, Darren buys a condemned church building in Walnut Park, one of the most violent neighborhoods in St. Louis. After decades of looking out only for himself, he finds purpose in establishing a youth mentoring center, dedicated to breaking the very cycle of violence he once perpetuated. As the pandemic exacerbates existing social issues, Darren’s mission gains new urgency. He mediates an escalating conflict between two young men. One is Preston, an 18-year-old street-level drug dealer and the son of Darren’s late friend. Drawn by the seductive allure of the quick money, Preston falls deeper into the street life, facing the risk of ending up in a prison cell or worse. While Darren renovates his building, he keeps contact with Preston, but his warnings are met with casual indifference. With the youth mentoring center as the backdrop, Catching Bullets confronts the devastating consequences of gun violence and sheds light on the complexities of healing a community grappling with an epidemic of violence.

Studio: Buffalo 8