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Zero Day (2003) is a movie directed by Ben Coccio, about a school shooting much along the lines of the Columbine High School massacre.
Plot The film begins with Andre and Cal introducing themselves and implying their general plan to assault their school. The majority of the film depicts the boys planning, preparing, and explaining some of their motives. There are also other scenes such as the boys at a party, egging the house of someone they dislike, and Cal going to the prom while Andre works at a pizza place. The final scenes of the movie show the boys arriving at school on May 1 and preparing their weapons in the car. They then run into the school, armed with two pistols, a high-powered revolver, a semi-automatic rifle, a 12-gauge pump action shotgun, and at least ten pipe bombs. The entire shooting is shown through the eyes of security cameras. Like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, on whom they are based, they commit suicide after the shootings. The next scene is set on May 10, nine days after the shooting. A group of youths, possibly students, film themselves going to a park where memorial crosses have been set up. They find Andre and Cal's crosses and set them on fire before running back to the car. The last scene shows the two crosses on fire before cutting to the credits. Origin and Filming Style The film was made in response to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. According to Coccio, he began writing the film shortly afterwards, and completed the film in mid-2001. The film's initial release was cancelled after September 11, to avoid distress. The film was then edited over the next six months, and eventually released in 2003, nearly two full years after being completed. The film's camcorder-style perspective was based off the basement tapes made by the perpetrators, in which they discussed their plan to assault Columbine High. The penultimate scene uses security camera, and is based off the footage of Columbine High cafeteria during the shooting. Main Cast In order of appearance: Comparison to Elephant (film)|Elephant Though it was made first, Zero Day's release closely coincided with that of the higher budget Elephant, with which it had numerous similarities. Coincidentally, the directors of both films received degrees in film from the Rhode Island School of Design. Criticisms In the previously mentioned film, Elephant, the director purposely avoided showing how the shooters got access to weapons, in order to avoid "giving ideas to kids". Zero Day on the other hand, is very detailed on how the weapons are acquired, and even includes a chapter in which the main characters, specifically Andre, talk to the camera on how to make a pipe bomb, including materials, fuses and what kinds of shrapnel to include. Although detailed, the instructions in the film Zero Day on how to make a pipe bomb are not nearly as intricate, complete and workable as instructions found elsewhere on the Internet. Additionally, Andre also tells the camera how he intends to steal the weapons for their attack. He also talks to the camera about how they prevent anyone discovering or foiling their plan. Quotes Trivia Goofs Praise Zero Day initially sparked some controversy, but received mostly positive reviews. Zero Day also won several awards at film festivals throughout America. It has been cited by Columbine journalist (and author of an upcoming Columbine book from Dutton) Dave Cullen as "The one great Columbine film." Awards See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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