Elephant Review

Messages: The "elephant" of the title refers to the idiom "the elephant in the room" that everyone ignores. The movie gives the sense that problems exist with teens and high schools, and that grown-ups are simply not present. Adults very rarely appear in this movie, and when they do, they are usually either part of the problem, or totally unaware of what's going on around them. However, aside from pointing this out, the movie doesn't offer any proactive suggestions.

Role models: Teens in this movie are basically miserable and are trying their very best to muddle through with little or no help, and this is before the unspeakable horrors that are about to make their lives much worse. These characters are generally unable to ask for help or to speak to others about their problems.

Violence: Two teens arrive at a high school with duffel bags full of guns. They begin shooting teens and teachers arbitrarily. There are dead bodies and lots of blood. As these teens prepare for their big day, they play violent shooting video games, browse the Internet for guns, and watch a documentary about Hitler. There's a scene of teens bullying another teen in a classroom (throwing wet, wadded-up paper at him).

Sex: Two teen boy shower together and kiss (they are shown through the shower door, waist-up). A teen girl's naked bottom is quickly glimpsed in a locker room shower scene. Other boy-girl teen couples are shown briefly kissing. Two romantic teens, having their photo taken, make reference to "naked pictures."

Language: Most of the language comes during the horrifying final stretch, with upwards of a dozen uses of "f--k" and "s--t." Other words include "bitch," "hell," "retarded" and "oh my God." Some name calling: "loser."

Consumerism: Capri Sun is mentioned and seen.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: A character's father is presumed to be an alcoholic, and drives his son to school drunk. The car swerves all over the road, bumps into obstacles, and gets scratched, but no one is harmed. In a very brief scene, two (adult) cafeteria cooks sneak off to smoke pot in a storage room.