This film is apparently based on the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 (which sadly has not been an isolated incident, with other similar shootings also having taken place).
The film is very unsentimental, and does not invite the viewer to engage with any of the characters. It simply shows a number of students going about their normal everyday routines…except of course, that this day is not going to be like any other day. While many scenes are shot in real time, they also ‘loop back’ on each other, so that we see one situation from several points of view.
The first hour of this movie is tense, as you know that at some point, this terrible massacre is going to start. And therein lies one of the problems with this movie for me – it felt almost voyeuristic, watching these people go about their normal lives, having normal conversations, totally oblivious to the fact that their lives are about to be changed forever.
I do feel that the fact that all of the actors were unknown added to the tension, and made the characters seem more real – which served to remind me that (although technically the film is a work of fiction), the events upon which the movie is based are all too real.
Year of release: 2003
Director: Gus Van Sant
Writer: Gus Van Sant
Main cast: Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson, Elias McConnell, Jordan Taylor, Carrie Finklea, Nicole George
Between the Pages 
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