Elephant (2003)

A film that lacks the depth and tact to handle its very sensitive subject matter with the sort of respect it deserves. It fails to offer a fresh take on the incident and feels like it is simply using its high profile to create shock for shock's sake. Furthermore, the gross simplification of the idea that media and art can create violent tendencies in young people (an idea that was heavily debated at the time) is presented with possibly the single worst fake- video-game-in-a-film I have ever seen. In a scene where one of the shooters is playing a fake first-person-shooter game that looks like it was made in less than 20 minutes using MS Paint and the most basic 3D animating tool and is never expanded upon. This theme of media influence comes up once more throughout the film, where the shooters are seen watching and being seemingly engrossed by a documentary about Adolf Hitler and the power of propaganda in Nazi Germany. I can only assume this scene was intended to show that the school shooters were obsessed with Hitler and the Nazis, presumably meant to be shocking but in a way that came off as "oh, these kids are interested in the Nazis? Well, no wonder they would be capable of a thing like this".I'm generally a fan of Gus Van Sant's films but Elephant filled me with disgust and disappointment. I expected a more tactfully-considered and respectfully handled piece from a director whose work I typically find to be unique and thought-provoking. Instead I got voyeuristic and ill- conceived trash with forced shock value and an undeserved weight garnered only by the notoriety of the Columbine school-shooting.

The students are mostly part stereotype. The girls who parade to the bathroom in groups to vomit up their lunch, and quarrel over how one of them might be spending too much time with her boyfriend. The nerdy, bespectacled girl who is bad and sports and finds solace in the library. The jocks with their cheerleader girlfriends. The quieter students whom are bullied by those jocks, and so on. But stereotypes always have an inkling of truth to them, they don't sprout from nowhere. Every school will have these people. And this makes it all the more frightening; who could be next? Van Sant has a simple style that serves his objective. The camera glides alongside these students, capturing every deep and shallow observation, every quote from Shakespeare and every "Want to go shopping?" He layers the story lines with each other; Michelle walks right into the centre of frame, obscuring the jocks at their football game, as if to declare that she too is important. And then on the second level, he builds each storyline towards the inevitable climax, leaving little clues and timestamps for us to look out for. Tension is slowly accumulated, and as a rational viewer we want to spot those telltale signs, a motive, something. Van Sant dangles all the usual indications when an event like this occurs; the boys playing a first-person shooter, the scenes of bullying, the clutching of the forehead in pain to signal mental illness. It is also a marvel of sound design. There is no score, but the sound levels are masterfully controlled for maximum impact. In one instance the cafeteria's mundane sounds build and build until they drown out everything else, and we begin to suspect a pained existence for the shooters. In another, Alex is practising his piano, and the soft, melodic tune gradually increases in intensity as Eric accumulates his kill-streak on the computer game until he gives up and gives the ritual a middle finger - it's a brilliant example of audio-visual association. And in a haunting sequence, they quietly yet nonchalantly go over their plan, and this is intercut with the deafening gunshots of their later massacre. As the title dictates, four blind men each touch a part of an elephant's body, and declare it to be a different animal. But they are only grasping a small part of the bigger picture, and are unable to piece it all together. And so Van Sant regards the endless speculation on these types of shootings; he dangle clues but does not give them any more than a moment's notice. This links itself to the scene of the Gay-Straight Alliance - the leader poses whether it is possible to discern sexual orientation simply by physical appearance, and the camera arcs around the group discussion, as if to urge us to try and guess. But of course, we cannot with any certainty. They cracked because of the incessant bullying? Tell that to poor Michelle, the first victim of the shooting who would never hurt a fly. Van Sant sees it all so clear, and without a hint of an agenda. There is no building of unfortunate circumstance, no impression of luck - it would be simple to insert such scenarios into the film to ramp up the tragedy: a pregnant teacher, a blossoming football genius, a class on the verge of graduation. But he doesn't - this could've happened on any school day. The 'action' of the shooting itself is cold and calculated. They discuss briefly before they storm the school, and remind themselves to "have fun", as if it was a coach giving a pep talk to his little group of soccer players. The gunshots are loud without comparison, and they take life so swiftly, without reason. There is no moment of remorse, no hero moment for Benny, no miraculous escape against the odds. Good action scenes makes us want to watch again and again for the breathtaking thrills they provide. Great action scenes that are concerned with realistic violence and subject matter such as this are unwatchable, because it does not seek to prop up a cause, or trying to sensationalise a conscientious topic. As Alex counts down to an agonising inevitability, I could barely keep my eyes on the screen.

It's a regular high school in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. Elias is an artistic photographer. John seems happy except for his drunk dad. Nathan and Carrie are the hot couple. Acadia is a gay activist. Michelle is an awkward nerd. Brittany, Jordan and Nicole are chatty girls. It's a normal day until Eric and Alex show up armed for mayhem. They're outsiders struggling with bullying. They play first person shooter games, watch Hitler on TV, buy guns off the internet and are possibly gay.Gus Van Sant has obviously taken inspiration from the Columbine massacre. He has a cast of young amateur newbies to play the kids. The only recognizable face is Matt Malloy who plays the principal Mr. Luce. I like the regular kids approach. I even like the the hypnotic minimalist style. I always love approaching the same event from different points of view. It's a bit slow but it's kind of interesting. My biggest problem is the portrait of the killers. This is fictional but the killers have to feel real. This is such an important part of the movie. I rather Eric & Alex be an enigma than ending up feeling false in any way. Gus Van Sant should have left their backstory out of the movie. The movie needs to shed an insightful light on the killers or else it should leave them as mysteries. There are some docudramas based on true events that are more compelling.

Elephant, is a movie that introduce us to some high school students. We can see an ordinary routine school day through some of the students point. Two of them have something different in their mind! So, they have a plan to make this usual day unusual.There's so much hate for this movie and I get it. It's an very slow movie, but it's worth watching, especially if you like art. Directing is great, very beautiful scenes. Camera work is wonderful, long scene shots made me feel like I was not watching the movie, I was in the movie and I'm walking around like I was invisible.I wasn't satisfied with dialogue though. Some bad dialogs, It would have been better to have some deeper dialogs. Also, acting wasn't good enough. I got this feeling that even the couple there had some distance. Even when the talk to each other, they don't feel as comfortable as couples are.Overall, I liked this movie, it was very artistic with great camera work.