Elephant (2003)
Inspired by true events from the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, this 2003 Palme d’Or movie has an appeal of shear torture. The movie follows the daily routines of students in and out of high school, told through the eyes of each of these students who follow the same fate. Because this is the world we live in and Gus Vant Sant shows in Elephant the extreme environment teens of this time live in. It could be and eventually inevitably will happen, unless someone starts paying attention.
This copycat crime movie starts when John Robinson plays John McFarland, manages his father from driving home while at the same time has troubles at school who is a friend of Alex Frost (Alex) a bully, frustrated pianist, and sketch artist who have a short love affair with Eric Deulen (Eric), both the perpetrator of the massacre.
While Jordan Taylor (Jordan) a popular football player/lifeguard together with his girlfriend Carrie Finklea (Carrie) least one of the two is shot and probably killed when Alex corners them in the cafeteria meat locker.
Elias McConnell (Elias) an aspiring photography student building his portfolio with portraits of students, he is presumed shot and killed in the library.
The vastness in the scenes are incredible and the colors are crisp and vivid. The camera lingers on the characters faces displaying their everyday expressions. It adds to the realness of the environment and people.
The movie moves at a normal pace and ends at the height of the climax, like waking up from a nightmare.
You leave thinking of the horrors and wondering what could possibly have gone wrong. Who would have thought that in a mundane day, a big elephant would be a big “obvious” problem.
