Heart of America (film)
| Heart of America | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg?lang=en) Heart of America DVD Cover | |
| Directed by | Uwe Boll |
| Written by | Robert Dean Klein |
| Produced by | Shawn Williamson |
| Starring | Jurgen Prochnow Maria Conchita Alonso Clint Howard Brendan Fletcher Lochlyn Munro Will Sanderson Maeve Quinlan G. Michael Gray Michael Belyea with Patrick Muldoon and Michael Pare |
| Edited by | David Richardson |
| Music by | Reinhard Besser |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million (estimated) |
Heart of America is a 2004 drama film by German director Uwe Boll about a fictional school shooting in a suburban high school. It is believed to have been inspired by such shootings as the Columbine High School Massacre. The film is MPAA Rated R for violence, drug Use, sexuality and language, (All Involving Teens). It is one of two Uwe Boll films not to be listed on IMDB's bottom 100.
Synopsis
The last day of school contains many problems for both the teachers and students of Riverton High School, and there are multiple storylines about this.
The Teachers
The principal must discipline an English teacher who has let his professional frustrations get the better of him while a counselor attempts to get through to a drug dealer who is ruining her students.
The Students
Meanwhile, the principal's daughter is having trouble with her boyfriend, outcast Dara craves drugs, a pregnant girl argues with her boyfriend about her future options, and a bully begins to recognize the consequences of his actions.
The Shootings
Unbeknown to these people, two students, Daniel and Barry have had enough and are about to seek revenge on those who have abused them for so long. Barry is having second thoughts, whilst hate-filled Daniel prepares to unleash his anger. This is very much used as a reference to the "constant battle" between good and evil.
Comparison to Elephant
Reviewers have often compared Heart of America to Gus Van Sant's Elephant, which is of a very similar theme. They both feature multiple viewpoints and frequently go from character to character. Additionally, neither are chronological, with events being shown in different order as to when they happened.
Movies of a similar theme
After the rise in school shootings towards the end of the 20th century and the subsequent Columbine High massacre, several film-makers produced low-budget films which would attempt to capture the atmosphere of a high school shooting;
- Zero Day - A faux documentary, composed of home videos made by two teenagers plotting an assault on their school. Called "the one great Columbine Film" by Dave Cullen.
- Elephant - A 2003 film by Gus Van Sant, it is set on the day of a massive shooting. Most of the film takes place about five minutes before the shooting occurs, following several characters as they live out their school lives, unaware of what is about to unfold. This film was highly acclaimed by critics and won the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival.
- Duck! The Carbine High massacre - A black comedy film which takes a grim look at what led two students to undergo a murder/suicide attack on their classmates and teachers.
- 2:37 - A 2006 Australian drama set in one day of the lives of six high school students, one of whom will kill themselves at 2:37PM.