Elephant (2003)
Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 155
Fresh: 112 | Rotten: 43
The movie's spare and unconventional style will divide viewers.
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Critic Reviews: 43
Fresh: 33 | Rotten: 10
The movie's spare and unconventional style will divide viewers.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 57,965
Movie Info
Director Gus Van Sant returned to the low-key style of his early independent efforts with this semi-improvised exploration of how violence makes its way into a typical American high school. Eric (Eric Deulen) and Alex (Alex Frost) are two close friends who are students in a well-to-do suburb of Portland, OR. Eric and Alex are at once ordinary and misfits; while they seem to be confined to the edges of the clique-oriented social strata of high school, little about their behavior draws attention
Cast
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Alex Frost
Alex -
Eric Deulen
Eric -
John Robinson (IX)
John -
Elias McConnell
Eli -
Jordan Taylor
Jordan -
Carrie Finklea
Carrie -
Nicole George
Nicole -
Brittany Mountain
Brittany -
Alicia Miles
Acadia -
Kristen Hicks
Michelle -
Bennie Dixon
Benny -
Nathan Tyson
Nathan -
Timothy Bottoms
Mr. McFarland -
Matt Malloy
Mr. Luce -
Ellis Williams
GSA Teacher
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All Critics (155) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (112) | Rotten (43) | DVD (26)
Gus Van Sant's fascinating, mysterious, semidocumentary meditation on the Columbine massacre is not very satisfying, but it's still something to see.
What I'll remember most vividly about Gus Van Sant's extraordinary "Elephant" is not the violent climax but the state of grace that precedes it.
The approach is oddly riveting, though, because the tension builds slowly, and you know what's going to happen at the end of the day.
The film doesn't try to explain, but to put us in a subjective time and space, a place where it's impossible not to feel the abject horror of random violence.
Top CriticElephant is a lurid tease posing as an art film.
A living, breathing work that's distinctively different from the regular hyper-reality of Hollywood films.
Elephant creates gorgeous, wide-open spaces that allow viewers the freedom to reflect without having a point-of-view imposed on them.
Director Gus Van Sant takes a powerful approach to this material, without being heavy-handed.
One of the most disturbing films I've ever seen, one that gave me a rush of emotions of sadness, horror, disbelief, shock, and anguish.
One of the most stimulating and provocative films of the year.
Van Sant's least 'show-offy', most personal, best picture in years (maybe ever), and an honourable attempt at respectfully considering the unbearable.
A failure to communicate
A film without any easy answers, or answers at all.
A morally dubious waiting game.
Elephant is one of this year's boldest movies....But, in refusing to assert a point of view about what troubles American youth, Van Sant...flees the scene of the crime
Elephant is a genuinely moving film, thoroughly deserving of its Cannes honour.
I haven't been crazy about a lot of Van Sant's recent work, but what he does here is simply astonishing.
La narración de Van Sant, por más contemplativa o "inactiva" que parezca, nunca aburre o distrae al espectador.
One of the most thought-provoking and important films of the last few years.
Van Sant has created a beautifully realized film that works so well because it almost forces us to search for deeper meanings.
This slight film raises questions that it doesn't explore, let alone answer. Far from probing, there's barely any character or theme development.
Audience Reviews for Elephant
Super Reviewer
Never have I seen a film de-glamourise violence in this way. You dread it from the moment you see the two kids about to walk into school, and the non-linear timeline left me constantly feeling sick, knowing what's to come into to the lives of these unassuming, mundane teenagers we follow.
The editing is brilliant, and the long tracking shots and camera movement in general is very distinct.
Fleeting references to a first person shooter, the ease at which guns can be obtained, delivered by a cheerful delivery man to boot. Is this just Van Sant's view on how America is?
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- Elephant (2003) (CA)
- Elephant (2003) (AU)
