Elephant

Gus Van Sant’s take on the Columbine tragedy is a murderously slow journey into the mundane lives of High School students.

But knowing what is going to happen keeps you on tender hooks waiting to see how it pans out.

The weaving in and out of different peoples lives is very cool, all the main characters move through each other’s scenes, so that a time line is slowly built up.

The movie is pretty much entirely based on the hour or so leading up to the shooting, and the shooting it’s self. With a little time given to show a glimpse at why the two boys decided to go on a shooting spree.

This is quite a powerful movie if you take the time to think about it. It doesn’t answer any questions; it just lets you ask them.

The slow, methodical story telling drains out any hint of Hollywood romanticism and presents the situation as it was: Just another day at school. Only in the end, it wasn’t.

Absolutely no entertainment value, but very thought provoking.