Remove ads

Information

Year
2003
Runtime
81 min.
Director
Gus Van Sant
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rating *
7.2
Votes *
54,580
Checks
16,370
Favs
1,217
Dislikes
240
Favs/checks
7.4% (1:13)
Favs/dislikes
5:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. sixteenmiles's avatar

    sixteenmiles

    Some thoughts on Elephant: https://16miles.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/elephant-2003/

    Part of the criticism and acclaim of Elephant is it’s total lack of any kind of morality. It portrays a neutral view of a horrific event. The film takes a camera and puts you, the viewer, inside of something brutal.

    But there is a message in there somewhere, hidden in the labyrinthine high-school corridors. The message is in the total lack of care or presence of any adult figure. They are all vacant. All absent.

    In the opening scene, John’s father is drifting drunk. This is the extent of his character. The principal of the school is patronising and unconcerned with reason. He looks down on John and is completely without care for his frustrations. The parent’s of the two killers are faceless ghosts that float around the screen and then disappear into the ether. Never seen again.

    The strange thing about the film though, is how emotionless everyone seems. There is a scene in which three girls are sitting in the lunch hall, eating, conversing. Then they walk together, they talk, and like any other day they enter the bathroom together to force up their lunch. It seems ordinary. Where a character does display emotion, John retreats to an empty classroom to shed a tear. His friend asks “Did something bad happen?” and he responds “I don’t know.” There is a scene in amongst the chaos of the end where a fearless student (Benny) seems completely unconcerned by what is happening. He drifts through the burning, smoking hallways in a long continuous take. He helps a girl escape and for a moment we almost have a heroic figure. He finds himself sneaking up behind one of the shooters. Yet as quick as this brief glimpse of hope appeared, the shooter turns around and plugs a bullet right into him.

    The film’s end is equal in how abrupt it is. A mere snapshot of an event. A portrait of these character’s life and frustrations. It ends with no conclusion or resolution. That is your responsibility as the viewer to come to.
    8 years 10 months ago
  2. moonsicle's avatar

    moonsicle

    The walking through hallways scenes are the best parts. That eerie drifting feeling. 10 years 7 months ago
  3. catherinefrances's avatar

    catherinefrances

    Yeah this is definitely a 'one watch' film. Haunting and messed up, and utterly tragic. 6 years 11 months ago
See all comments

Friends

Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!

Activity

  1. yksamsaim checked this movie 2 hours 37 minutes ago
  2. Ramo23 checked this movie 7 hours 45 minutes ago
  3. dorispmq and Sadrac Araus checked this movie 3 days 20 hours ago
  4. Lisbeth Salander23 and nasovon tamiru checked this movie 5 days 2 hours ago
  5. Smittycommitty and AmirVzz checked this movie 6 days 18 hours ago
See more activity

In 10 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #40 in TSPDT's 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films
    TSPDT's 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films's icon

    TSPDT's 21st Century's M…

    40
  2. This movie ranks #76 in Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
    Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or's icon

    Cannes Film Festival - P…

    76
  3. This movie ranks #284 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
    The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die's icon

    The Guardian's 1000 Film…

    284
  4. This movie ranks #288 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
    Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life's icon

    Time Out's 1000 Films to…

    288
  5. This movie ranks #475 in Jennifer Eiss's 500 Essential Cult Movies
    Jennifer Eiss's 500 Essential Cult Movies's icon

    Jennifer Eiss's 500 Esse…

    475
  6. This movie ranks #483 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films's icon

    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    483
  7. This movie ranks #497 in Mark Cousins's The Story of Film: An Odyssey
    Mark Cousins's The Story of Film: An Odyssey's icon

    Mark Cousins's The Story…

    497
  8. This movie ranks #633 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
    Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time's icon

    Sight & Sound's The Grea…

    633
  9. This movie ranks #945 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
    1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die's icon

    1001 Movies You Must See…

    945
  10. This movie ranks #1008 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema's icon

    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…

    1008
View all lists this movie is in