Just as the 9/11 tragedy scared everybody in the movie industry into thinking twice about including even the mildest of "unpatriotic" themes or any action sequences where planes crash into buildings, the Columbine High School massacre aggrandized school shooting into one of those taboo phenomena that nobody was allowed to talk about, write about, joke about, or make movies about. But, as the Columbine incident is now just passing its sixth anniversary, it looks as if enough time has elapsed for filmmakers to feel "safe" about making movies containing school-related violence again.
So out of the smoke comes ELEPHANT, Gus Van Sant's haunting story of a sudden, unexpected massacre that erupts at a suburban high school. Despite the potential "action-movie" subject matter, the film is deliberately slow-paced, with long, laborious shots of seemingly insignificant acts and numerous lapses of unbroken silence. Though this style has been challenged as being pretentious and "artsy", I actually found it to be infinitely effective. Firstly, it brings about an immeasurable sense of tension and ominousness that couldn't possibly have been achieved by any other means. The overall voyeuristic style combined with the subtle jadedness of the characters creates an inescapable feeling of dreaded uncertainty in the viewer--you know something bad is going to happen, but you don't know when or what.
Secondly, Van Sant's unique visual style accurately portrays the monotony of everyday high school life. There are the long walks between classes, the half-hearted, obligatory greetings to the other kids passing by, the constant drone of teenage voices in the cafeteria--it's all here, and it's realistic enough to give you flashbacks of your own high-school experiences. Maybe that's why ELEPHANT's finale, though inevitable, is so shocking. There doesn't seem to be any real lead-up to the chaos, and the perpetrators have no real motive for their crimes, other than a general hatred for their classmates. By all accounts, there is absolutely no expectation of these events, except for a general sense of foreboding that none of the characters seem to be aware of. And yet, it all makes perfect sense, somehow.
The actors in ELEPHANT are mostly untrained, but ironically enough, this only adds to the blunt realism of the film. The kids are pretty much just being themselves the whole way through: hanging out in the hallway, engaging in (probably unscripted) conversations about trivial topics, etc. To use true "actors" would only make the whole ordeal look forced and would detract from the film's seemingly uncontrolled atmosphere.
There are several other minor touches about this movie that I really loved--like the brief moment when the oft-bullied Michelle breaks out of her complacency and looks to the sky in bewilderment, as if she was sensing her own impending doom. Also, the idea that the shooters picked off the students without thought or discrimination was a particularly bold but successful move. The fact that they targeted both the popular crowd and the outcasts showed just how heartless the murderous duo were, and succeeded in highlighting the baselessness of their crime. Finally, I respected Van Sant's choice to frame the entire movie in a square, rather than in the traditional rectangular format. For whatever reason, the square picture gives the film an odd kind of "home movie" feel, and curiously enough, somehow makes the visuals feel all the more genuine.
But ELEPHANT is not without its share of flaws. Although Van Sant does a decent job of touching on the many hardships and annoyances of teenage existence, it is clear he is trying to cram far too much social commentary into one 80-minute film. The scenes of teasing and many of the allusions to teenage politics worked well, but the bulimia scene and the numerous gay references were awkward and re-markedly out of place. Likewise, the archetypal portrayals of the gunmen as being trench coat-clad rejects who play violent video games and idolize Hitler was more than a little clichéd.
Still, despite these minor quibbles, ELEPHANT is a beautiful and jarring piece of modern cinema that should not be ignored. It's a film which requires patience and contemplation on the part of the viewer, so Hollywood-types should be forewarned. Those who do give it a try will find that, underneath its deceptively simple storyline, ELEPHANT has a lot to say--it's just hard to decipher exactly *what* it's saying.
So out of the smoke comes ELEPHANT, Gus Van Sant's haunting story of a sudden, unexpected massacre that erupts at a suburban high school. Despite the potential "action-movie" subject matter, the film is deliberately slow-paced, with long, laborious shots of seemingly insignificant acts and numerous lapses of unbroken silence. Though this style has been challenged as being pretentious and "artsy", I actually found it to be infinitely effective. Firstly, it brings about an immeasurable sense of tension and ominousness that couldn't possibly have been achieved by any other means. The overall voyeuristic style combined with the subtle jadedness of the characters creates an inescapable feeling of dreaded uncertainty in the viewer--you know something bad is going to happen, but you don't know when or what.
Secondly, Van Sant's unique visual style accurately portrays the monotony of everyday high school life. There are the long walks between classes, the half-hearted, obligatory greetings to the other kids passing by, the constant drone of teenage voices in the cafeteria--it's all here, and it's realistic enough to give you flashbacks of your own high-school experiences. Maybe that's why ELEPHANT's finale, though inevitable, is so shocking. There doesn't seem to be any real lead-up to the chaos, and the perpetrators have no real motive for their crimes, other than a general hatred for their classmates. By all accounts, there is absolutely no expectation of these events, except for a general sense of foreboding that none of the characters seem to be aware of. And yet, it all makes perfect sense, somehow.
The actors in ELEPHANT are mostly untrained, but ironically enough, this only adds to the blunt realism of the film. The kids are pretty much just being themselves the whole way through: hanging out in the hallway, engaging in (probably unscripted) conversations about trivial topics, etc. To use true "actors" would only make the whole ordeal look forced and would detract from the film's seemingly uncontrolled atmosphere.
There are several other minor touches about this movie that I really loved--like the brief moment when the oft-bullied Michelle breaks out of her complacency and looks to the sky in bewilderment, as if she was sensing her own impending doom. Also, the idea that the shooters picked off the students without thought or discrimination was a particularly bold but successful move. The fact that they targeted both the popular crowd and the outcasts showed just how heartless the murderous duo were, and succeeded in highlighting the baselessness of their crime. Finally, I respected Van Sant's choice to frame the entire movie in a square, rather than in the traditional rectangular format. For whatever reason, the square picture gives the film an odd kind of "home movie" feel, and curiously enough, somehow makes the visuals feel all the more genuine.
But ELEPHANT is not without its share of flaws. Although Van Sant does a decent job of touching on the many hardships and annoyances of teenage existence, it is clear he is trying to cram far too much social commentary into one 80-minute film. The scenes of teasing and many of the allusions to teenage politics worked well, but the bulimia scene and the numerous gay references were awkward and re-markedly out of place. Likewise, the archetypal portrayals of the gunmen as being trench coat-clad rejects who play violent video games and idolize Hitler was more than a little clichéd.
Still, despite these minor quibbles, ELEPHANT is a beautiful and jarring piece of modern cinema that should not be ignored. It's a film which requires patience and contemplation on the part of the viewer, so Hollywood-types should be forewarned. Those who do give it a try will find that, underneath its deceptively simple storyline, ELEPHANT has a lot to say--it's just hard to decipher exactly *what* it's saying.