Influences

Influences to our thriller

Elephant, a thriller describing the events of the Columbine High School shootings, was a title Gus Van Sant borrowed from a film by Alan Clarke. The term ‘elephant’ was suggested for the title due to the phrase “there’s an elephant in the room”, which means that there is an obvious truth that no one talks about and ignores. The idea of this film is thought to be the “elephant in the room”; as such a tragedy is rarely talked about. Furthermore, the social cliques in the film may be the “elephant in the room”, as it shows the tension between different social groups and the film shows the consequence of what happens if it is brought up.

The portrayal of young society in this film suggests the tragedy in youth which is un-noticed. Teenagers are seen to be vulnerable and innocent, yet capable of a horrific event because of this vulnerability. Many would argue that the social cliques in high schools can cause long term psychological damage to the youth of our society – a scary thought for many as youth is seen to be the future, which is the thrill factor of the film. A disturbing, yet sad piece contributes a dark outlook on teenagers and tells the public the truth about teen tragedies.

Paranoid Park, another movie by Gus Van Sant, shows the life of a teenage boy as he takes place in the accidental death of a security guard after going to the locally famous skate park Paranoid Park. The movie shows the growth of anxiety in the young boy as he tries to act casual about the situation to investigators. The title of the film expresses the paranoia that can grow within a killer, no matter what the situation.

Young society is portrayed to, as in Elephant, be a new born innocence, but takes part in many tragic events. However, unlike in Elephant, guilt is brought in to the character to justify his actions to the audience. Whereas, Elephant shows the pure wrath in teen society with no form of remorse. Furthermore, the soundtrack of Elliott Smith shows the misery a teen is capable of as these slow acoustic sounds fulfil the film. This film shows the remorse of a teenager, but his capabilities at the same time. This creates the audience to feel empathy for the character. Whereas, Elephant brings out an atmosphere of sadness for the tragic event, but not for the characters.

These Van Sant films have influenced our choice of thriller through the works of teenage portrayal. Our film, like Van Sants, shows a teenage killer dealing with the aftermath of the incident. We aim to create sympathy for the character from the audience, as well as shock at the incident that has taken place. Our thriller is more similar to Paranoid Park. However, shows differences through the characters reaction to the murder.

By Harriet Bliss