Elephant

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Summary

A realistic drama that takes the viewer inside an American high school on one single, ordinary day that very rapidly turns tragic. It observes the comings and goings of its characters from a safe d...

A realistic drama that takes the viewer inside an American high school on one single, ordinary day that very rapidly turns tragic. It observes the comings and goings of its characters from a safe distance. The experiences of each student range from friendly and innocent to traumatic and deeply disturbing. Depicts students at a high school before and during a harrowing, Columbine-style shooting. The movie follows one young boy who takes over the wheel from his drunken dad while returning from lunch, then loops back in time and follows another student who crosses paths with the first, then loops back and follows another--all captured in long, unedited tracking shots that are serene and unhurried, even when two boys in camouflage gear, carrying heavy bags, arrive at the school and begin shooting. Elephant doesn't attempt to explain their behavior; it simply places the audience back in the brief yet interminable window of adolescence, when life is trivial and painfully important at the same time.

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