In today's society we are constantly surrounded by many different art forms. The music that plays in your headphones, the advertisements we encounter, and even the buildings that peer up at the New York skyline can all be considered art. One of the most popular artistic mediums today is cinema. The film uses moving photographs to tell a story, express emotion and convey ideas. The unique aspect of cinematic art is that it allows the viewer to become its subject or characters and experience their situations as they occur. Gus Van Sant uses this to his advantage in the 2003 film “Elephant.” Elephant attempts to capture the real and unseen events of the tragic Columbine massacre in an attempt to make sense of a senseless act, while at the same time remaining true to its senselessness . (Edelstein)On April 20, 1999, two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, launched a deadly assault at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Armed with rifles, shotguns and numerous explosives, they devastated their school. In the end twenty-four people were injured and fifteen, including the assassins, died. It was a tragedy that reverberated across the country and will be remembered as the worst school shooting in American history. Gus Van Sant took this incident and decided to interpret it into his own artistic vision. The elephant is not a drama; it's not a documentary. It's just a floating meditation on tragedy. The film throws you into the moment, in real time, with the victims and killers, as it loops back on itself, makes chronological leaps, and repeats its narrative from different perspectives. It's purposely vague to leave the viewer perplexed but, at the same time... middle of paper... with guns. (Bradshaw) Van Sant's The Elephant is a compelling response to this terrible event and is the most disturbing film Gus Van Sant has made yet. It's not a drama; it's not a documentary. It's just a floating meditation on a tragedy. Works Cited Bradshaw, Peter. "Elephant." TheGuardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited, 30 January 2004. Web. 28 November 2013. Edelstein, David. "Children in the room." Slate Magazine. The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company, October 24, 2003. Web. November 28, 2013. Elephant. Director Gus Van Sant. Perf. Alex Frost, Eric Deulen and John Robinson. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2003. DVD. Hattenstone, Simon. "All the world is an art school." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 23 January 2004. Web. 28 November 2013. "Jefferson County Sheriff's Report." CNN. Cable News Network and Web. November 28. 2013.