What a time to be alive. And unfortunately, still live in.
It was December 6, 1989 and it was just like any other day at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. People were going from class-to-class, thinking of their days, getting ready for the holiday-break, and most of all, looking forward of what was next to come. But little did most of these people know that, by the end of the day, they would be shot and killed by one deranged loon (Maxim Gaudette). Due to issues with his mental well-being, as well as with authority, the killer enters the school and decides that it’s about time that the world heard and understood his hatred for all things women, which is exactly who he targeted in this attack, killing an overall of 15 and injuring 14 more.
Director Denis Villeneuve knows that he’s dealing with a difficult, downright disturbing subject here and while he doesn’t try to gore it up in an unsettling way, he doesn’t shy away from the harsh facts, either. A good portion of the movie is mostly dedicated to this school-shooting and as such, it’s chilling, compelling, and very hard-to-watch, meaning that as a director, Villeneuve gets what he needs to get done.
Shot in black-and-white, Villeneuve allows for the camera to swoon back-and-forth, following our certain characters as they go about their day and truly does put us in the place of this shock and horror. We feel as if we are right there, feeling the same distraught confusions that these people must have felt, having no clue where to go, what to do, or just what the hell was actually going on; this constant stream-of-confusion and cause-and-effect is shown quite well, as Villeneuve displays just how the actions took place, with people figuring out stuff a lot later than others, and often times, almost too late. It’s unflinching and as disturbing as it should be, making Villeneuve feel like one of the better displays of a school-shooting ever put to film.
Issue is, that aspect is so well-done, it’s hard not to find everything else lacking.
It isn’t that Villeneuve doesn’t try to aim for something deeper and smarter here, because he absolutely does. Much like Gus Van Sant did with Elephant, Villeneuve focuses on a few characters, giving us their lives, hopes, aspirations, conflicts, and backgrounds leading up to the school-shooting. It does help give us a point-of-reference once the carnage starts, but the issue is that there’s such an intense feeling in the air, these characters, as well as their developing-sequences, can’t help but feel like plodder to what’s to come. Maybe that’s the point – perhaps Villeneuve is meaning to have us expect the worst, but still keep us around, sitting, and waiting for it all to happen.
But then again, maybe not. What I do know is that for a 79-minute-movie, it’s a surprise how much of it can actually feel a tad meandering. Van Sant’s Elephant felt the same way, but it was much more deliberate and worked much better for the movie’s sense of style and meaning – here, it can’t help but feel a little long. The actors are all good, too, but as I’ve said, they’re sort of stuck with faceless characters who we see through this tragedy and that’s all we really need to know.
It’s a shame because they were real people, too.
But still, Polytechnique works because it gets the point across that not only are guns bad, but the ideas surrounding this sort of violence is even more scary. See, the killer in real-life wanted to get rid of all women in the world and very much opposed their equality, by any means necessary. It’s something that, unfortunately, we see too much of in today’s world and while the movie was made in 2009, it still hits on a lot of points that are often made whenever another mass-shooting comes around. The violence, the blood, the loss, and the death is there, but the actual ideas that this may never get better are also there, and it makes this all the much more sad.
When will it ever end?
Consensus: Chilling and frightening, Polytechnique can’t quite overcome its issue with its narrative, but still gets the hard and heavy points across without preaching, while also reminding the world of the tragic-loss.
8 / 10
Photos Courtesy of: Alliance Films
Dan the Man's Movie Reviews 
I remember this event happening when I was in high school and so this was a very hard movie to watch.
Pressed the Reply button too soon. Was just going to finish by saying it was really well done.
Sounds like a tough watch, but I am very curious to check this out because of the director and this review, cheers for the solid write-up.
Nice review, Dan. I must watch this one – I’ve had a copy for ages. I see you’ve also reviewed Gus Van Sant’s Elephant. That one’s a master-craft. I did laugh, though, at your comment: Did anyone actually go to class that day!
Villeneuve is a true talent. Pretty cool to see all of the attention his projects have been receiving lately! Nice review Dan.