Zero Day (2003, Ben Coccio)

Since the massive school shooting at Columbine high school in 1999, a number of varying films have been released based on the delicate subject of teenage oppression leading to campus rampages. Films like Gus Van Sant's "Elephant" that took the 'arthouse' approach that still manages to ooze of exploitation once shots are eventually fired, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and, of course, the outrageous (and arguably 'too soon') satire from indie jailbird film makers William Hellfire and Joey Smack, "Duck! The Carbine High Massacre". Then you have "Zero Day", which obviously falls into the 'found footage' category of this string of Columbine-based films. I know I've made an abundance of declarations insisting that I have sworn off FF flicks, but I'm a fickle motherfucker and I actually really dug "Zero Day". I might even go so far as to call it one of my favorites of the faux-doc variety.

The two Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold representations, reverentially renamed Andre and Cal, are keeping a video diary highlighting their preparation leading up to a monumental massacre throughout their high school. The boys follow each other around with the camcorder, stating their motives with eerily rational articulation, practicing their assault weapon skills on Bambi plush toys, fashioning firearms into more concealable forms and constructing explosives. Their hate-fueled labors eventually lead up to the much anticipated "zero day" in which they storm the school.

"Zero Day" is an incredibly believable POV enactment of a pair of defective teens gearing up for a blaze-of-glory rampage, much like the home movies of Eric and Dylan - just with more detail, of course. Everything is realistic and natural without a huge amateurish quality brought on by over-acting non-actors. These kids pull off their roles very well. And the big conclusion works well - shown through school security-cam footage as a 911 operator expounds on the violence, via telephone, while pleading with the boys to stop, but, obviously, to no avail.

The overall rationale of this film seems to be in sending the message that those who feel compelled to follow through on mass murder sprees throughout their schools (or anywhere, for that matter) are typically disturbed beyond an average person's sense of understanding or reasoning. At one point, the kids in "Zero Day" make a very direct and felicitous assertion that they are, in no way, influenced by popular culture and even go so far as to demonstrate this affirmation by expeditiously destroying their worldly possessions (DVDs, video games, etc.) on camera. They also explain to their loved ones through their video manifesto that they truly believe that they are helpless and completely passed the point of no return in the devising and follow-through of their "mission". I definitely find this consideration quite apt in referring back to the Columbine calamity, as well as many other young psychopaths whose interests in movies, music and video games were taken into account heavily in the media's probing for probable motivation in the wake of bloodshed. I personally don't think these things typically hold the relevance that people like to figure in determining a fathomable reason behind a sudden outburst of violence. I'd certainly say this film handled this form of reasoning in a well done, nicely candid manner.

"Zero Day" is one of the best movies I've seen on the topic of a school shooting and is a well acted and realistically shot 'found footage' flick. Highly recommended.