Hot Discussion: Thoughts on Elephant (Van Sant, 2003)?

An ordinary high school day. Except it's not.

Tomatometer: 71%

Winner of best film and director of the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

Thoughts?

A film that I initially thought was very good but over time I may just consider it a masterpiece. I need to rewatch it.

Very polarizing film experience and like David Lynch's Inland Empire, a film I have a very hard time rating.

Has some of the most chilling scenes of the decade. The film is a documentary-like drama following several students going on about their normal high school routine. Only on this day, a shooting will occur. The long tracking shots following different groups of students carrying on their daily high school routine are absolutely stunning, especially the one following the group of girls ordering their food in the cafeteria.

I'm going to be watching this film again this week, but as of right now I would probably give the film ****/****.

I think it is amazing. It feels very real and the ending is hard to watch, because it does feel real.

Van Sants best.

****

One of the best films of the decade. Shocking and beautiful.

Not a fan.

Haven't seen it, but I did just add it to the queue.

Very slow. But so are most high school days. Until they aren't.

A+

A few years ago, I showed this to one of my classes after they had studied a novel that dealt with bullying via isolation ("Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson). They were stunned into silence; a few were crying by the end. What really brought them to better understanding of the film was a review by Peter Travers, which I distributed to them after we watched the film. He clarifies several signifcant details--both thematic and stylistic--that really helped a younger audience grasp the film as a whole. I haven't re-watched it since that class, but I think I will soon.


Here is a link to the review by Travers:

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/...47790/elephant

8

I expected to hate it and was ultimately impressed by how it was so well-crafted and subtle. Given it's subject matter, it's amazing how it never seems exploitive.

I'm also not a fan.

I just can't connect with the film on any level, outside of the occasional pretty image that gets conjured up. I also dislike Van Sant's other like-minded films (particularly Last Days), I guess I just can't buy into what he's going for.

I remember it being more bold than good but it's been quite a while since I've seen it.

Meh. Only for the easily impressed.

I own and like it very much. It was very very realistic

It was very slow. I can't honestly fault it for that because it was meant to be that way (documentary like, very realistic) but I haven't felt the urge to watch it since i saw it a year and a half ago, maybe i'll watch it again sometime soon.

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