Review of Elephant (2003) by Thorne W — 19 Nov 2009

We?ve all had those nightmares that we just can?t shake off, haven?t we? You know, the ones we still think about in the morning. Well, Elephant is kind of like one of those. That?s partly to the fact that it?s the most realistic portrayal of teenagers I?ve ever seen and partly because we know that stuff like this can, and does happen.

In not giving any real insight into the motives of the kids who perpetrate these heinous acts, or any point of view about them, Van Sant seems to be as bewildered by them as we are. Perhaps, though, it?s for us to make up our own minds about it, rather than being told what to think.

This is a incredibly moving film that haunts with its matter-of-factness and its depiction of gratuitous malignity.