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Elephant

Play trailer Poster for Elephant R 2003 1h 21m Drama Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 163 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
A variety of adolescents at a suburban high school drift through a seemingly uneventful day, until two students arrive with violent intentions. Alex (Alex Frost) and Eric (Eric Deulen) have developed elaborate plans to enter their school and gun down as many of their peers as possible. Although Alex and Eric are seen as the victims of bullying, and the pair have carefully plotted their attack, most of the violence is committed with a detached sense of randomness.

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Elephant

Elephant

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Critics Consensus

The movie's spare and unconventional style will divide viewers.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Nayman The Ringer 04/06/2020
...it remains one of the most unsettlingly accomplished American movies of the new millennium, and exactly as difficult to categorize or definitively interpret as its maker intended. Go to Full Review David Ansen Newsweek 03/12/2018
There's much to argue with, but this unconventional, oddly beautiful film resonates in unexpected ways. Go to Full Review David Denby The New Yorker 04/24/2013
It offers a dismaying whiff of mortality in the spaces between the girls' chattering remarks in the cafeteria and in the blank eyes of boys who feel alienated from everything except the guns they cradle so lovingly in their arms. Go to Full Review Bianca Garner Filmotomy 10/10/2024
Elephant is still very relevant and remains one of the most impactful films of the 21st Century. Go to Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast 05/24/2023
4/5
A powerful and haunting film. Go to Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast 05/17/2023
4.5/5
A quiet, enthralling slice of life portrait of an average day at a high school before it erupts into a school shooting. Van Sant offers no explanation, reassurance, or catharsis, which only makes the film all the more powerful. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Paige C @chandler-da-goat Feb 19 veryyy slow and boring. a lot of the speech is mumbled/ hard to understand. the ending is very powerful but the rest is just dragged on and on. See more Oaklee D @ODie63 Feb 2 Scattered stories intertwine in this gripping tale of gun violence. This film is uncomfortable but necessary. See more Mickey B. @Mickerdoo Jan 21 I graduated in ‘08, so the portrayal of school and the students was relatable. Some of the acting felt flat, though. Sells gun reform. See more dave e @caseyeisenman Jan 15 This was a slow and boring movie that should have been made much better. I get they want to set up the story, but it just drags and drags and drags on and on. The last 10 minutes is about the shootings, but there is no ending really. Waste of time. See more Mariana T @M.Tezeta Jan 14 You'll perceive its beauty if you watch it patiently. By the end, you realize this story couldn't have been told any other way without resorting to sensationalism. And it's astonishing what the director achieves: creating disorientation by giving us so little information. Because, of course, it's just an ordinary school day: you don't know what bad thing might happen. I can't deny that I was bored in some parts, but that boredom at the end was one of the most necessary I've ever experienced in a film. See more Fabio G @LeCitricOrange Dec 19 The movie gives an unsettling feeling throughout. Beautifully crafted and put together, as there is almost no dialogue yet it keeps you watching. You can feel the calm before the storm and how life can change in the blink of an eye…. See more Read all reviews
Elephant

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Cast & Crew

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Gus Van Sant

Director

Alex Frost

Alex

Eric Deulen

Eric

John Robinson

John McFarland

Elias McConnell

Elias

Jordan Taylor

Jordan

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Elephant

Elephant (2003) A scene from the film ELEPHANT. A scene from the film ELEPHANT. A scene from the film ELEPHANT. A scene from the film ELEPHANT. Elephant (2003) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A variety of adolescents at a suburban high school drift through a seemingly uneventful day, until two students arrive with violent intentions. Alex (Alex Frost) and Eric (Eric Deulen) have developed elaborate plans to enter their school and gun down as many of their peers as possible. Although Alex and Eric are seen as the victims of bullying, and the pair have carefully plotted their attack, most of the violence is committed with a detached sense of randomness.
Director
Gus Van Sant
Producer
Dany Wolf
Distributor
HBO, Fine Line Features
Production Co
HBO Theatrical Documentary
Rating
R (Disturbing Violent Content|Brief Sexuality|Drug Use|Language)
Genre
Drama, Crime
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 24, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.3M
Runtime
1h 21m
Sound Mix
Surround
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