Elephant

2003, Gus Van Sant, USA, 78 min.

Selected and introduced by documentary filmmaker Lynn True.

Students at a suburban high school drift through a seemingly uneventful day, until two of them arrive with violent intentions. Alex (Alex Frost) and Eric (Eric Deulen) have developed elaborate plans to enter their school and gun down as many of their peers as possible. Although Alex and Eric are seen as the victims of bullying, and the pair have carefully plotted their attack, most of the violence is committed with a detached sense of randomness.

The soundtrack for this harrowing tale features music by Beethoven, William S. Burroughs, and Hildegard Westerkamp, one of the featured artists in the Rubin’s exhibition The World Is Sound.

Why did you select Elephant for the Cabaret Cinema: Soundtrack series?

“I saw [Elephant] when it premiered at the New York Film Festival many years ago, but I always remember being absolutely blown away by how the sound design carried the film.” —Lynn True

About Cabaret Cinema: Soundtrack

You can probably name the best movie you’ve seen, but what about the best movie you’ve heard? It might be your favorite because of its sound effects, sound engineering, score, or another element of the audio experience. Watch—and hear—a series of films that caught the ear of notable New Yorkers.

About the introducer

Lynn True is a New York-based filmmaker whose work has spanned subjects in South Africa, Congo, Tibet, and the US.