Review of Elephant (2015) by Alexander Z — 06 Mar 2013

What a polarizing film this is. So many extreme high and low ratings. I have to say, I'm somewhere in the middle. The anticipation and dread was palpable throughout, and I'll say that all the "boring" parts helped that build. The walking, the staring, the classical pieces; they all made the idea of what was about to happen more horrifying.

Where this film failed is at the end. It's hard to explain, but there's just something off about the whole scene. Gus Van Sant tried so hard to capture a slice of life shattered by a traumatic event, but when he gets to the actual event, the acting of everyone involved just goes straight out the window. And the reactions! I know people get paralyzed by fear or go to pieces and lose all rationality, but I can tell you, it doesn't look anything like what's shown here. It's an odd dichotomy, to go from realism to disbelief so fast.

In the end, I'm both intrigued and disappointed by Elephant. It paints an atmosphere far better than most films I've seen, and then tosses it away in ten short minutes due to poor execution.