Will This Intense Twist Ending Help or Hurt This PSA‘s Cause?

“Evan” is a new PSA spot released this week, seemingly telling the story of a budding high school romance. But there’s more to the story than that.

Since it was launched on YouTube Dec. 2, the video has had nearly 1.5 million views as of this writing. Although it displays the hallmarks of quality storytelling, particularly in a genre of advertising that often gets short shrift when it comes to budgets and production (compared with car commercials, let’s say), it’s the ending that has everyone talking.

The storyline features a romantic angle on the surface. We follow Evan in his search for a mysterious pen pal, with whom he’s been sharing comments back and forth, scribbled on a table in the school library. And by the time Evan finds out whom he’s been connecting with, it appears to be too late.

We’ll let you take a couple of minutes to watch:

The spot is part of the nonprofit organization Sandy Hook Promise’s “Know the Signs” campaign. It appears to be effective, at least in inspiring engagement and views. If the tone and tenor of most of the comments on the Sandy Hook Promise YouTube account is any indication, however, it is highly unlikely this video spot will do anything to bring rational discourse to the topic of gun violence — particularly in schools.

Nicole Hockley, managing director of the organization, spoke about the goals for the campaign. “When you don’t know what to look for, or can’t recognize what you are seeing, it can be easy to miss warning signs or dismiss them as unimportant,” she told Adweek. “That can lead to tragic consequences.” Hockley’s son Dylan was one of the children killed at the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2012.

This month marks four years since the massacre. Sandy Hook Promise, based in Newtown was started by a group of family members who lost loved ones that day. Its mission is to “prevent gun-related deaths due to crime, suicide and accidental discharge so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child.”

According to its literature, nearly 35,000 Americans are killed by gun violence annually, and nearly 80,000 suffer gun-related injuries. The group hopes to shed some light on signs of violence and help people understand how to prevent bloodshed, particularly in the case of young people and children.