Life in high school is filled with dramatic events. Oftentimes these events are over-blown in a high school students’ mind; the very sight of a zit could very well mean the end is near. But every once in a while a real traumatic event enters the lives of students at a high school, an event that affects not just one person’s ego or self-confidence but an entire student body.
2:37 explores the intricacies that take place during the day at a high school, where six high school students find their lives more interconnected than they at first realized. This realization hits home when the clock strikes 2:37pm and one of the six students commits suicide.
How could this happen? Why did this happen? How could someone with so much promise and potential kill themselves at such a young age? The answers may be harder to find than one thinks, and the film leaves many questions open for the audience to interpret on their own.
The film is shot documentary style with the six students being “interviewed” about their lives and the events of that particular day. A lot of stuff is going on behind-the-scenes in these six students’ lives; some of it surprising, but all of their lives contain elements of secrecy and deception to one degree or another.
Filmmaker Murali K. Thalluri’s style for the film was heavily influenced by Gus Van Sant’s film Elephant (2003), which explores the events leading up to and including the tragedy at Columbine High School. Both films rely on a documentary style of storytelling, and both end with questions left unanswered.
2:37 is not a film for everyone. While it is well made and powerful, there are very disturbing images and moments that include the graphic depiction of a rape and the bloody suicide that takes place at 2:37. It’s definitely not a film you’ll come to the end of and be all smiles. And if you are, maybe you need to seek help.
For those looking for a film in the same vein as Van Sant’s Elephant, or for those seeking to explore alternative styles of filmmaking, 2:37 is worth checking out. I personally have no interest in seeing it again; the images depicted were enough for me to stomach this once.
What are your thoughts on the film? Leave a comment and let us know.
2:37 is available NOW on DVD.