Elephant (2003)

Directed by

Gus Van Sant

Genre

drama film, independent film, teen film, thriller film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 21m

Rated

R

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 2,123 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The film follows several high school students and a few teachers in the hours leading up to a school shooting. It shows their ordinary interactions inside and outside the school building without any judgment or explanation.

slow-burnunsettlingcolddetachedmelancholicbleakhypnoticquietly tense

What happens

Elephant is a 2003 American psychological drama film written, directed and edited by Gus Van Sant. Inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, the film chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting in Portland, Oregon. The narrative begins a short time before the shooting occurs, following the lives of several characters both in and out of school, who are unaware of what is about to unfold. The film stars mostly unknown or newcomer actors, including John Robinson, Alex Frost, and Eric Deulen. Elephant is the second film in Van Sant's "Death Trilogy"—the first is Gerry (2002) and the third Last Days (2005)—all three of which are based on real events. Although Elephant was controversial for its subject matter and allegations of influence on the Red Lake shootings, it was generally praised by critics and received the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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