Movie of the Day – Elephant

I remember watching this with a date when it came out back in 2003 and thinking, “well this is a real mood killer”.  Besides the fact that it was her decision to watch a Gus Van Sant film that was apart of his “Death Trilogy”, I was unable to shake the feeling of chills and uneasiness that came over me when I watched this film, thus making for awkward conversation after it was over.  Trying to tell a story, as fictional as it may be, of a high school shooting only 5 years after the Columbine shooting was provocative, but important.  Some may say it is exploitative and could incite copycats, but film in general is a medium used to showcase life, even in a fictionalized setting.  Elephant is a powerful film that shined a light on the subject of school shootings, unflinching and unwavering in the portrayal of fiction students on both sides of a tragedy.

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