* * * 1/2
The intention of inevitable tragedy
is established right away with friends Andre and Cal (played by their
namesakes) taking their camera to their high school. They declare it their
nemesis, with a statement about a “Big-Ass Mission” called “Zero Day”. Granted,
they never initially state their full intentions initially, but it goes without
saying. Their footage exhibits more and more disconcerting behavior, from
simple juvenile antics (most notably when they egg the home of a mutually hated
classmate) to legitimately alarming preparations as they build pipe bombs and steal
firearms from relatives. When they’re not making preparations for murder, we
watch them spend time at events like family outings, birthday parties, dates,
and even prom. Watching all of this, there is no indication whatsoever that
these two kids are in any way capable of the monstrous violence they will
indeed commit.
It is well-known that the
Columbine killers kept an extensive video log known as the Basement Tapes,
which authorities have yet to release to the public. Some may think that the answer to Columbine
is buried in the Basement Tapes; something I highly doubt. Evident after
watching Zero Day, Coccio most likely
had these same doubts. Coccio took inspiration from the Basement Tapes: Zero Day is filmed almost entirely in
the hands and DV camcorders of the two boys (the finale is shot in mock CCTV
footage), and the result is perhaps the most interesting use of the
found-footage style I’ve seen (and perhaps the best). As you could imagine,
this makes the material all the more real. For 2003, perhaps too real
considering Columbine was still in recent memory.
Zero Day, in general, has not gotten the exposure that I firmly
believe it deserves, but perhaps that’s for the better, as it would probably
have been buried alive under controversy if it did get more limelight. This
film has the potential to infuriate and spur outrage, most likely for being “irresponsible”,
but the reasons for people possibly labelling it “irresponsible” are part of why
I believe it’s such a thought-provoking and effective film.
Take, for instance, a scene
where Andre and Cal are making pipe bombs. Allow me to emphasize: two children
are sitting making deadly explosives. Even more disturbing when they explicitly
mention how to acquire the necessary ingredients, which are not black market
items, but items that can be easily (and cheaply) bought at your local hardware
store. One may initially be infuriated at the film for actually disclosing this
information, but some may direct such fury from the film to hardware stores (as
an example) for allowing such easy access to such components. Next thing you
know, people will start talking about regulations for whatever murderous means,
but where does that stop? I can understand arguments for gun control (I will
not state my opinion on that here), but what will stop somebody from buying
simple hardware to build bombs to kill instead? And should one’s ability to
make household repairs be stripped away because of a couple of proverbial “bad
apples”?
Perhaps what will enrage
people the most about Zero Day is
also what makes it such a compelling drama. It is a film that exercises the art
of slow burn, and exercises it well. When Andre and Cal first declare war on
their school, their demeanor is not menacing or a containment of gravid rage,
but rather youthful joviality. Not in the sense that they’re excited to
terrorize their fellow students, but as if they’re not totally serious about
it. But as the film progresses, the more and more serious they get about it. In
one heart-wrenching moment, after burning all of their worldly possessions,
Andre, laughing in disbelief, states “We gotta’ do it now.” And sure enough,
their colorful handheld fantasy of their video diary turns into static black
and white reality upon the massacre when they’re caught on security camera.
But enough socio-political
talk, as this is not the proper setting for that conversation. After all, there’s
an entire movie to discuss. At Zero Day’s
center, of course, are lead actors Andre Keuck and Cal Robertson, and these are
two of the most remarkable child performance I’ve seen yet. Robertson has a few
credits according to IMDb (including a role in a single episode of The Sopranos), but Keuck, who I would
not hesitate to get in touch with if I ever get around to making a movie, has
gotten no exposure after Zero Day
whatsoever. Everybody else involved really helps out the film’s realism: all
the actors feel natural and like real people, unlike most found-footage films
where subjects try just a hair too hard at being “real”. In the case of Zero Day, it helps that many people
involved had no idea what exactly they were involved in – from my
understanding, many people thought they were in some insignificant home movie
(this led to some outrage from a few participants).
Zero Day disturbingly reflects
an especially ugly part of reality, where there are no easy answers to the unspeakable
tragedy it depicts. Some may even ask why such a film needs to exists. It is
often said that cinema, in one way or another, is a reflection of the world we
live in. That world is sometimes one we would rather pretend doesn’t exist due
to the utter ugliness of it at times, and I believe it is vital to confront
that reality by whatever means in an effort to understand. With school
shootings, maybe all there is to understand is that there’s nothing to
understand. Maybe tragedies like this are ultimately unstoppable. Maybe not. I
don’t have the answers, but then again, neither does the film. Zero Day offers no answers (or at least
no easy ones), but simply projects an account of what happened. Yes, fictional,
but nonetheless all-too-real. This is the kind of movie that will spur lengthy
discussions after viewing, as it should.
If we can't get answers, at least Zero Day lets us know we're not alone in our lack of understanding.
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