Elephant | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Gus Van Sant |
Written by | Gus Van Sant |
Produced by | Diane Keaton Dany Wolf JT LeRoy |
Starring | Alex Frost Eric Deulen John Robinson |
Cinematography | Harris Savides |
Edited by | Gus Van Sant |
Production company | Meno Film Company |
Distributed by | Fine Line Features HBO Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3 million[1] |
Box office | $10 million[2] |
Elephant is a 2003 American psychological drama film written, directed and edited by Gus Van Sant. It takes place in Watt High School, in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, and chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting, based in part on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The film begins a short time before the shooting occurs, following the lives of several characters both in and out of school, who are unaware of what is about to unfold. The film stars mostly new actors, including John Robinson, Alex Frost, and Eric Deulen.
Elephant is the second film in Van Sant's "Death Trilogy"—the first is Gerry (2002) and the third Last Days (2005)—all three of which are based on actual events.
Although Elephant was controversial for its subject matter and allegations of influence on the Red Lake shootings, it was generally praised by critics and received the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
Part of a series of articles on the |
Columbine High School massacre |
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Location: Perpetrators: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold |