ELEPHANT

Working with a crew of mostly non-actors, Gus Van Sant gets some nicely realistic (and some argue boring) performances in this non-story of a school shooting and the hours leading up to it. For most of the film, there's no real plot - at least no more plot than there is in me typing this review while taking occasional breaks to smoke. Knowing what will occur by the time the movie is over, however, lends real weight to every movement, action, and word spoken. Overlapping time is masterfully handled in 'Elephant' (and unlike in '11:14' [see review] isn't a substitute for depth). The camera work is stunningly smooth and unobtrusive - the Steadicam operator is arguably the brightest star in the film.

Van Sant does falter a few times. When three teenage girls synchronize their bulimia in the school bathroom, reality is broken in a film that relies on it. There are clues as to what eggs the teenage killers on, but do they need to exhibit them all on the same day? And the ending point seems almost randomly chosen. The film could be ten minutes longer or ten minutes shorter to much better effect.

The true greatness in 'Elephant' is in the bold decision to point no fingers, to offer no indictments of blame for teenage violence. Instead of preaching, or even dominating the conversation, Van Sant carefully chooses a first sentence and trusts each audience member to continue the discussion themselves.

YES (8/10)