Elephant is a film that is much too dark to like whole-heartedly. However it can be appreciated for what it is. In my opinion, at it's core Elephant is an expose of how actions people may think have no effect can actually have one beyond measure. This film depicts numerous members of a high school in Portland, Oregon going about their daily routines. They range from artsy, nerdy, jocks, and any other social cliché you can imagine. You get to…

I get what Gus Van Sant was going for here; the long takes were trying to represent real life and all that, but honestly, it's just very boring to sit through. Yes, it makes the ending more poignant and it gives the film its real impact, but that doesn't make me forget that the first hour is a real slog to get through. It's a very interesting experiment in filmmaking and it certainly works in places, especially the impact the…

Elephant is a true minimalistic film. The day starts out just as any other school day would. No one expects the shooting to happen. Every moment, Van Sant makes you feel like you're in school. Even though it's relatively short, it does take a while to pick up speed (just like school does).

Van Sant has a great color palette here and really uses the camera to his advantage. All of the great tracking shots adds a sense of unity…

I never much cared for Gus Van Sant as a director as his style is frankly uninteresting. However, Elephant seems to be that one time he got it right and the one time the story of the film is in harmony with his slow, cold approach. Long, drawn out shots, natural dialogue and everyday scenarios give the movie an eerily realistic atmosphere as we follow a group of High School kids on their daily routine on what looked to be…

My God, what can I say? To tell the truth, I don't know. I usually wait a few hours after watching a movie to start even the briefest of reviews, but it's been five minutes, and I have to talk about it. I can't get that final 20 minutes out of my mind. I'm not quite sure I ever will.

Let me start by saying this movie has the most sudden and shocking genre change-up since Hitchcock's Psycho. The film…

I recall watching Elephant the first time a few years ago; I was bored through most of it, patiently waiting until those final scenes. I knew what Gus Van Sant was trying to do - show everyday life and how it is destroyed by unthinkable violence. There just wasn't anything that held my attention until the end. But watching the film again, I found out just how Elephant is incredibly well made, and that mundane feeling throughout truly helps elevate…