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Aurora Theater Shooting survivors react to 'Dark Night'

Film is loosely based on Aurora Theather Shooting
Posted at 9:59 PM, Feb 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-25 01:05:50-05

LITTLETON, Colo. -- One survivor of the Aurora Theater shooting attended the only Colorado showing of "Dark Night," and said the movie could be a "cathartic experience" for some.

A.J. Focht was in the theater during the Aurora shooting, which the film "Dark Night" is loosely based on, and he attended the only Colorado showing at the Alamo Drafthouse Friday night.

"It didn’t personally remind me of that day, but it did remind me of all of the different people that are out there, all of the people that are affected," said Focht. "They each had their own life going on, they each had their own individual story as they walked into the theater that night."

Focht is now on the board of Aurora Rise, a charity founded to help those affected by the tragedy, and he said many are still affected by it.

A spokeswoman for Alamo Drafthouse said all of the proceeds from Friday's showing will be donated to Aurora Rise.

"I don’t know that I would necessarily recommend the movie, but there are some people who could enjoy it and it’s a movie that could be a cathartic experience for them," said Focht. "I didn’t feel it was trying to exploit the tragedy. I really felt it was an attempt to give a story out there and show there were all these different types of people involved."

While some family members have called the film "exploitation," Tom Sullivan, whose son, Alex, was killed in the Aurora Theater Shooting, said he hopes it starts a conversation about gun violence.

"My heart is already in so many broken pieces, it can’t break anymore," said Sullivan. "And now my goal is that another father doesn’t have to live their life the way I have to from here on out, so if that means that a movie comes out that helps us on this path to ending gun violence, then I’m all for it."

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