In Gus Van Sant’s Elephant (2003), there’s a pivotal moment where we watch Alex in his room, practicing Beethoven’s Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata. As we listen to him play, the camera slowly pans around the room in two complete rotations, the first time revealing his bed and messy possessions, and the second time following Eric’s entrance.
We cut to a close-up of the back of Alex’s head, and here we watch and listen as he continues to play. This very long, static shot, hypnotic like so much of the film, uses a device common in Romantic painting – the portrayal of a person from behind, prompting the viewer to look more deeply at them, more intently and sympathetically, and consider what the character sees and thinks. As we listen to the building drama of the music, we stare at Alex and must fill in the details of his face, his mood, his thoughts, his feelings. And this is, in the end, what Elephant is about; we are asked to consider the deep complexities of the inner life, and even if ultimately we do not understand Alex’s actions, Van Sant’s film nevertheless encourages us to observe life with sympathy, and with empathy.
You can watch this scene here.
Mariya
Although I do think this is a beautiful film, ESPECIALLY that sequence I do beleive it does, like many idie films today, exploit the frailty behind evil and over-romanticise such a terrible deed, no matter what human feeling and nobility lay behind them. Probably why I really don’t like it when books end in suicides, I don’t emphathize no matter what the reason.
I guess it’s an open question whether the film romanticizes the violence; it certainly presents a provocative and involving picture of it, and portrays it in the same hypnotic and calm style as everything else in the film.
I don’t feel, though, that it exploits anything. I think it’s telling a story about the very complex situations that can lead to violence and suicide, and by avoiding any specific explanations it makes the case that there’s a lot more to those events than many people realize.
I think my reading of all this comes from by belief that you can’t really sum someone up by saying they’re evil. I believe in evil deeds, but not really evil people- just deeply sick, troubled people, some know what they’re doing, some don’t. But I don’t think anyone is a comic-book ‘evil’ character, and I think seeing the frailty and weaknesses behind evil deeds can go a long way towards understanding how to prevent them in the future.
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