WARNING: The following EP may contain contents related to school shootings that some will find offensive or triggering. Read at your own risk.
What’s The Work[]
Elephant is a 2003 drama film.
Who is the Candidate? What Have They Done?[]
Alex is one of the main villains in the film. He hatches a plan with his friend Eric to bomb his school. When their plan to bomb the school fails, they start shooting and killing everyone in sight at the school. After killing countless people, Alex shoots Eric dead without a shred of remorse, and when he finds a couple hiding in a freezer, he sadistically plays a game of “eenie meenie miney mo”, choosing which person he should kill.
Freudian Excuse/Mitigating Factors[]
Alex is an anti-social and awkward guy who is bullied on a regular basis. While this is very likely a contributing factor to the reason he decides to shoot up his school, the bullying he endures doesn’t even remotely match up with his own actions. He even shows sadism while shooting up the school and tells Eric to have fun beforehand, implying that he’s only doing this for the fun of it. Any relationship he had with Eric is ruled out at the moment he kills Eric in cold blood. Now, he does warn John to leave before the massacre, but his hostile tone while making John go away suggests that he’s only sparing John for a pragmatic reason. John was already out of the building, so it’s likely Alex just didn’t want to waste bullets with someone who was already outside and could potentially draw unneeded attention.
Heinous Standard[]
He’s the only villain along with Eric (who was his partner). So he sets it.
Final Verdict[]
Leaning towards a weak yes.