Jenna Ortega Proves She’s Ready For Stardom With ‘The Fallout’ on HBO Max

In The Fallout, a new high school drama that was released on HBO Max today, Jenna Ortega is exceptionally good at being the chillest girl in the world. Ortega’s character, a high school named Vada, dresses like Billie Eilish, in long shirts, baggy shorts, and retro ’80s tennis shoes. She never wears lipstick, and she privately mocks her school’s resident influencer, Mia (played by Maddie Ziegler), when she catches her contouring in the bathroom.

Then comes a horrific event that makes it hard for Vada to be quite so chill: a shooting at her school that kills an unspecified number of her classmates. Vada is trapped in the school bathroom when it happens, huddling in a stall with Mia the influencer, and, eventually, a blood-soaked student named Quinton (Niles Fitch). They try not to cry too loudly, as they overhear the unbearable sounds of gunshots and screams, wondering if this moment is to be their last.

She survives, but to say Vada is traumatized is an understatement. Still, in the wake of the shooting, she tries her best to hold on to those cool-girl vibes. She tells her parents she’s fine, and she tells her therapist (Shailene Woodley) that she’s just “a very low-key person.” She insists she doesn’t do that whole emotional, drama thing—that’s just not who she is. She’s chill.

Of course, in reality, she’s in denial that she’s coming apart at the seams. She’s terrified to go back to school, and when she does, she’s terrified to use the bathroom. The way Ortega plays it is spot on—she really is this chill girl, and you want desperately to be her best friend (or at the very least, to be low-key with her), but you also see the turmoil brewing just beneath the surface. At times, she absolutely hysterical, like when she’s talking a mile-a-minute about environmentalism when she gets high for the first time. But she abruptly cuts herself off, and suddenly, instead of laughing at her, your heart aches for her, as she numbly rolls herself into the pool.

Even in her most emotional scenes, when she’s screaming at her mother or breaking down in her therapist’s office, Ortega is so specifically Vada. Ample credit is due to writer/director Megan Park, whose naturalistic dialogue gives Vada her distinct voice. (Like Vada saying “L-O-L” out loud, through frustrated tears, when her mom pointedly asks if she’s having sex.) But much of it comes down to Ortega’s easy delivery, her unique mannerisms, and her knack for physical comedy. For a movie about such a sobering subject, there is a surprising amount of slapstick humor, including a scene where Vada, high on Ecstasy, smears ink all over her face and slides head-first down a staircase. Ortega has the range, too—as easily as she makes you laugh, she’ll make you cry for the film’s gut-punch ending.

It is perhaps Ortega’s best performance to date. The 19-year-old actor has so far been gaining attention in horror flicks like the new Scream and The Babysitter: Killer Queen, as well as supporting roles on TV series like You and Jane the Virgin. But with The Fallout, Ortega had the chance to truly show off her skills—to totally transform into a character—and she knocked it out of the park. She might not be a huge star yet, but with The Fallout, Ortega proves that she’s ready.

Watch The Fallout on HBO Max