Behind the scenes documentaries can be artsy as well

"Elephant" was pure art. At times groundbreaking and innovative, other times so enigmatic to the point of angering hearts and minds by the thousands but in the end Gus Van Sant managed to deliver an unforgettable piece that injected a deeper look to the clichéd high school flicks, and also made a poignant statement about violence in schools. 

Interestingly enough, this behind the scenes documentary following director, cast and crew of "Elephant" destroyed the tired and boring concept of those productions to become a work of art that explores another work of art. Instead of interviews featuring Alex Frost, John Robinson and others explaining the movie and how they loved being part of the production, praising their director, this piece presents a difficult question and the actors, in the best way they can express, try to find possible answers on where does violence comes from (which is the main theme of the film) and why does it happen so often in schools. Bear in mind, the majority of the young actors featured in the film just had their film debut on the screen, so they don't have (and they don't need as well) the eloquence and the fluency of more experience thespians, yet they have more freedom and simplicity to share their views which works the same way. 

And intertwined with those, we have Van Sant directing the actors, instructing the crew or receiving ideas from cinematographer Harris Savides on how to capture a certain moment of the film, and even we enter the lion's den of the movie, the editing room which was improvised on the school where the film was being shot. All of those moments don't come near the usual behind the scenes we are flooded each time we take a look at many DVD's extras out there. And there's classical music to go along with everything, like in "Elephant". 

A delicate and different experience that worths a view. 10/10

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time

An artistic and unconventional documentary about the making of Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant'. Brief interviews are put together with behind the scenes clips with the director, cast and crew showing the creative process behind some of the movie's elaborated scenes.

Gus Van Sant and Harris Savides in On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time (2004)

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Rolling Through Time: On the Set of 'Elephant'

Alicia Miles and John Robinson in Elephant (2003)

On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time

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