Elephant

Winner of the Palme d’Or and Best Director prizes at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. An ordinary day at a typical American high school takes a sudden tragic turn in this unforgettable film from director Gus Van Sant ('Good Will Hunting'). Unfolding via a series of ingeniously time-shifted segments from the points of view of several students, the story follows them through a variety of familiar activities—classwork, hobbies, gossip, socializing—in the hours leading up to a catastrophic act of violence committed by two disturbed youths. With Timothy Bottoms and an ensemble cast consisting primarily of actual high-school teens including Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson, Elias McConnell and Jordan Taylor. Written and directed by Gus Van Sant.