Cinema Tuesdays Review

Although the attacks of 9/11 and the ongoing threat of terrorism from abroad seems to have eclipsed school shootings as the number-one threat depicted on American magazine covers, director Gus Van Sant's award-winning film "Elephant" is a reminder of the spring of 1999. This fictional film explores homegrown violence by depicting how a Columbine-like incident shatters an ordinary school day.

"Elephant" is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and not just because of its subject matter. For about 50 minutes, the film follows several ordinary high school students as they go about their day. One student works in the photo lab. One mousy girl stacks books in the library. Three popular girls gab during lunchtime. A boy and girl walk hand in hand. And the coming violence is foreshadowed as we see two boys at home, playing violent video games, watching a Nazi documentary on television, and signing for a home delivery of assault rifles. All of these little mini-dramas are filmed by a camera that tracks behind of or in front of the subject. The filmed takes are long, and take place in what seems like real time. It's kind of hypnotic to watch, which makes the inevitable violent outburst at the climax of the film all the more startling. It shocks us out of the banality of everyday life. It could happen anywhere.

Some may find Gus Van Sant's "Elephant" boring, pointless, and excessive. I found it to be a chilling, brilliantly paced film that explores violence without explaining it. Nor does it offer any reason why some people in the school die while others live.

In "Elephant," to offer a reason for why the two teens turn into killers would be to offer an excuse. It's not the video games, it's not the teasing, and in this film, it's not even parental neglect (another student's father is a drunk, but he's not shooting up the school). Maybe it's all of these together. Maybe not. Or maybe we should all pay just a little bit more attention to what's going on.

7/24/04

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