"A masterpiece."
The opening sets the tone.
"In this film, Gus Van Sant presents a simple snapshot of daily life at school—real, mundane, and almost boring in its ordinariness. It's so plain that it borders on dull, which will obviously spark a lot of controversy.
Yet, this controversy is exactly the point of the film's framing—
Normal? Boring? Dull?
Exactly. Because this is the ordinary life that audiences are accustomed to. No one feels out of place, and everyone has experienced this kind of uneventful school day. It seems there's no point in seeing it again on the big screen.
But is that really true?
It's precisely within this boring, dull daily life that the 'elephant' has always been there. Discrimination, exclusion, and violence seep into everyday life.
When audiences complain about how boring the movie is, or even curse it, they inadvertently prove the real voice behind Gus Van Sant's visuals:
The elephant is in the room, and no one sees it. Even if they do, they pretend not to. Even years after leaving school and looking back at those memories, people still pretend the elephant never existed.
This casual indifference is, in a way, a form of enabling violence.
That's where the movie truly shines, breaking the fourth wall from the inside out. The audience's reaction becomes the final piece of the film.
It's like a social experiment.
Even when the elephant gets angry, even when blood flows like a river, in the midst of fear and despair, people still don't understand what's happening.
And the film doesn't stop there.
The movie refuses to give a reason, refuses to offer a solution, and even refuses to give a clear ending—
When the film ends, everyone is left waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the gunshot to ring out, but nothing happens.
Gus Van Sant leaves everyone hanging.
He refuses to give closure, refuses to let us easily find an answer and move on. He won't put a period on this event.
The movie is over, but the story it presents continues in reality. The visuals truly break the fourth wall and invade our lives.
The film invites ongoing thought, expects heated debate, and hopes every viewer will express their own views and opinions, hoping we'll finally confront that sleeping elephant.
From every angle, Gus Van Sant has proven himself successful."
Click.
A finger presses the enter key.
The words flow smoothly, inspiration gushing forth, completing the thought in one breath.
Roger Ebert lets out a long exhale, a satisfied smile on his face as he sips his coffee and glances out the window again—
People bustling by.
The morning has just begun, but Cannes is already in full swing.
The reason? Controversy.
From last night to this morning, Roger is probably not the only one who tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The movie offers no reasons, no solutions, and it leaves everything abruptly in front of you, thoughts swirling in the mind.
From the very first scene, Gus Van Sant has been breaking the fourth wall, and he continues to do so until the end. When the screen fades to black, the story seamlessly merges with reality, completing the final part of the narrative.
That's where the film truly excels.
Roger knows people will question Gus Van Sant's filmmaking techniques, but the truth is, Gus has subtly woven his craft into the movie. He constantly reminds the audience of the elephant's presence while refusing to point it out directly—
It aligns with reality.
The impact and reflection this movie brings are far beyond expectations. It's not just a simple punch to the face, using violence to disrupt calm. The more you think about it, the more it lingers.
It's brilliant, both in terms of cinema and real life.
That's why Roger, and everyone else at Cannes, can't stop thinking about it. If someone asked him to explain his feelings, he might struggle to find the right words, just like last night. Different thoughts and opinions might clash in his mind because the film's themes are far from simple.
One thing's for sure: the wave of discussion sparked by "Elephant" is only just beginning.
It's been a long time since Roger watched a film that triggered such a mental storm. He now believes that Anson's choice of this film was no coincidence.
Maybe everyone underestimated Anson.
Roger had never given Anson special attention, treating him fairly but acknowledging that he considered Anson a pretty face. Even in "Spider-Man" and "Catch Me If You Can," where Anson displayed his charisma, Roger attributed it to his appearance and the roles themselves, so he didn't think Anson deserved a second look.
But now, that's changing.
On the big screen, there are two types: actors and stars. As of now, Anson is still the former—perhaps not even an actor, just a subcategory of one, an idol. "Elephant" is no exception. The film left little room for him to perform because Gus aimed for a documentary style, leaving no space for acting.
However, Roger is now eagerly awaiting Anson's next move. Every step this actor takes is becoming more and more interesting.
With that thought, Roger tapped a few more keys and sent it.
"Four stars."
If the maximum score were 100, it would be 100.
If it were 10, it would be 10.
Of course, at Cannes, the maximum score is four stars, so Roger gave it four.
It's that simple.
In Roger's view, the film may not be perfect, but the effect it produced was undoubtedly flawless, with nothing to critique.
Though Roger wasn't part of the official Cannes ratings this time, he still wrote for a few media outlets. It didn't stop him from voicing his opinion on "Elephant." He genuinely hoped more people would see this film and engage in discussion in the film-loving environment of Cannes—
These intellectual storms are what make a film festival truly special.
Quickly finishing his coffee, Roger packed up and rushed across the street to the Palais des Festivals. Now that his review was done, he still had work to complete for the day.
In a way, Roger was right:
The discussions won't stop.
The film leaves one question after another, connecting them to reality. Whether you love it or hate it, the only certainty is that the mental storm won't stop.
And this is just the first day.
However, Roger's prediction was slightly off:
Even though the movie didn't provide much space for acting, with the director and the film being the focus, Anson's powerful influence still shone through at Cannes.
In the film, Anson silently wipes his tears, Alicia kisses his cheek, and this tender, sensitive moment unexpectedly captured countless eyes.
As Gus said, with Alicia's comfort in front and Alex's reminder behind, Anson's character, though on the sidelines, became a warm spot in the entire campus. This moment became the film's most beautiful, touching scene.
And who could resist that?