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Zero Day (2003)
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Reviews Counted:15
Fresh:8
Rotten:7
Average Rating:5.8/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 3, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: Shot entirely on hand-held video cameras, ZERO DAY is director Ben Coccio's debut feature, portraying the lives of two wayward teens as they plot a Columbine-like act of vengeance against their... Shot entirely on hand-held video cameras, ZERO DAY is director Ben Coccio's debut feature, portraying the lives of two wayward teens as they plot a Columbine-like act of vengeance against their high school. Zero Day is the name the two boys give to the fateful date on which they will carry out their heinous act of revenge, a day towards which they race inexorably throughout the movie. The two protagonists, Andre Kriegman (Andre Keuck) and Cal Gabriel (Calvin Robertson) are obsessed with documenting their every movement, filming even the most minute detail in their well-executed plan. To avoid detection, the boys store their camcorder footage in a safety deposit box, ultimately requesting that their stored legacy is left in the hands of any major television network, thereby ensuring their posthumous fame. The fascinating and creepy video diaries include footage of the seemingly normal family lives of the boys (with both sets of parents being played by the actors' real parents), and also make it abundantly clear the influence of violent video games, movies, books, music, nor the boys families are not to blame for their willful acts of destruction. Director Coccio offers a bold, intense statement for his directorial debut. Drawing no discernable conclusions from his subject matter, Coccio weaves a fascinatingly open-ended tale. The two media-savvy teens are convincingly played by Keuck and Robertson, offering very few apparent signs of mental instability or psychosis. Their disquieting pathology lends an eerie feeling of unease as they approach their task. Disturbing, and all too real, ZERO DAY offers a tantalizing glimpse into the possible worlds of modern day teenage lives. [More]
Starring: Andre Keuck, Calvin Robertson, Gerhard Keuck, Johanne Keuck
Starring: Andre Keuck, Calvin Robertson, Gerhard Keuck, Johanne Keuck, Rachel Benichak, Christopher Coccio
Director: Ben Coccio
Director: Ben Coccio
Screenwriter: Ben Coccio
Producer: Ben Coccio
Composer: Benji Cossa
Studio: Avatar Films
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Release:
Apr 5, 2005
Reviews for Zero Day
My reaction to Zero Day closely mirrored my reaction to Gus Van Sant's Elephant. Neither film tries to exploit tragedy, but I'm not sure either succeeds in telling us much we don't already know.
Mr. Coccio's conclusions -- or lack thereof -- may seem a little pat at times, but as a pseudo-case study of adolescent ego and aimless nihilism channeled into a fit of violence, it's like a bucket of ice water in the face.
Can't help but resonate with a ripped- from-the- headlines topicality.
I never found what the Coccio Brothers were saying through their surrogates, Andre and Cal, either convincing or compelling.
There's a thin line between purposefully banal and simply banal, and Ben Coccio's debut feature too often crosses it.
Ben Coccio lets the mostly banal Zero Day videos go on much too long. And in having the characters speechify about the futility of postmortems on their motivation, he hits the audience over the head with the proverbial hammer.
What gives the movie its power is that even the most innocuous scenes in the boys' lives are shadowed by dread.
It has a power and immediacy that makes it much more worthwhile than Home Room.
Zero Day may not explain the reason such crimes are committed but it successfully defines evil as willful cruelty compounded by enormous self-absorption.
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| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
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