Review of Elephant (2003) by Hanna M — 29 Mar 2009

It is impossible to draw or to imagine an elephant for the blind man. Because touching the animal one cannot have a clear idea. One can touch just a part, a fragment of this mastodon. And different part of it correspond to different drawings. So, the same for a disaster like a high school mass murder. there is the peroxide blonde boy with an alcoholicdad, the photographer, the black, the boy and girlfriend, the piano man, the plugger girl. And you think, after these kids could be nice men and women. then Piano man allies himself with a sort of gay, peroxided too, nazi boy. And les jeux sont fait. The corridor scenes, where the two paramilitary guys walk and find and destroy reminds me of Kubrickâ?? Shining, little Danny and his tricycle, exploring the Outlook Hotel looking for trouble. The story goes forth and back, every time from a different point of view. Beyond every little story there is a girl or a boy eye. The various story cross, till the tragic epilogue. When the blonde with a yellow Spanish Bull t-shirt crosses the two killers outside the school you think â?? holy shit, put out your mobile and call the police â?? But everyone, included the spectator stays and look dazed the school and its destruction. Yes, the core sensation is paralysis.

Van Sant does very good things with non professional actors. Cool, he saves lot of money. And one has not to puzzle himself trying to separate the real name from the name of the character. I mean, Gus has not changed the name of his actors, Eliah is Eliah in the real life, so John so etc etc.