POST 10: Elephant, a Gus Van Sant movie (2003)

ELEPHANT

School shootings: The Power of Death

1) What struck you most in the film?

What struck me most in the film was that even though the atmosphere was tense by the shouting the director gives an artistic and calm ambience, especially with the character of John.

2) What also impressed you?

 What impressed me about this film was that we get to know the situation of the main charaters, how they live the moment before the shooting, and the differents prespectives.

                                          

3) Did you find anything more particularly upsetting?

What was the more particularly upsetting to me was when the two shotters enter  school so peacefully well armed without anyone sttoping them.

                                         

4) What did you find very disturbing?

The most disturbing thing to me, was the attitude of the two shooter, they plan everything and they say that they should have fun while they kill their classmates, and at the end Alex sing a nursery rhyme before killing the couple, Natan amd Carrie

                                         

5) What was most shocking?

The most shocking was when Alex kills Eric, when he planned everything with him, we can't explain this moment, and why he do it. Me as a viewer i'm shocked by this moment.

                                         

6) What does the film  suggest about the two school shooters?

What the film suggest about the two shooters that they have no consideration for the people who surrounds them, even thought they seem normal.

                                       

                                         
7) What's more, what does the film director make clear about the two killers?

What the film director makes clear about the two killers is that they are normal people, students who get bullied, they haven't lived too much and we can see that in the scene of the shower, they are sensitives and they don't look mentally disturbed, and that's scary.

8) What kind of approach to the school shooting itself did Gus Van Sant opt for?

Gus Van Sant gives an artistic approach to the school shouting

                                           

9) Moreover, what's the main consequence of the realistic treatment he uses? What about the 'poetic' touches he instills throughout the film?m

The main consequence of the realistic treatment that the director uses is the impression we have of the characters while they go through their normal day in school. The artistic touches, we can notice them in the whole movie with for example the sweatshirt with the cross on the back.

                                            

10) As a conclusion, what must we admit about the way in which the killing and the killers are perceived by the film viewers?

The whole we are especting the shooting, we see this event as very cruel and violent, the two shooters want to kill the most students and make a revenge. The way we perceived the killers changes through the film, in some points we see some sensitive touch, then agresive, and in some moment mentally disturbed.