2:37 succeeds admirably at showing us what Australian teenagers feel and don't say. These are the stories of real kids and I think we would be naive to think otherwise. The only new thing 2:37 really brings us is an Australian point of view. We often watch troubled American children but often fail to link the same problems to our own teens. Executed with clever and artful cinematography, I did however (upon immediate recognition of the disappointing final song) find the musical direction lacking in sophistication. I applaud the fabulous casting of this film. These are regular looking Aussie kids who invite plenty of sympathy because of this. Great performances all round and you can't top Gary Sweet, this film made me remember why sometimes high school sucked and unless you're squeamish, or you like to leave with warm and fuzzies, go and see 2:37.
79 Reviews
Question
ben_dalton7 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
All those that identify this as a simple rip-off of 'Elephant' - are there no other comments that you can make towards the movie on its own merits as an individual film (regardless of its apparent similarities to other movies).
All those that question the validity of the movie - in terms of its stereotypical characters (the obligatory gay, the jock, the disabled kid, etc) - I'm not sure how long it has been since you were at school - but regardless of how amateurish the acting may be - the happenings that go one are surprisingly close to what may actually happen.
And all those that disregard the film as being so simple: just six teenagers with the regular teenage angst that pushes one over the edge... did anyone stop to think, and take notice that the girl who took her life wasn't actually one of those six!! As one comment points out - she had screen time of maybe 2min max (excluding the final scenes). I think the point of the film is not only to make an issue of teenage angst, and how far it can take someone - but also that it is no apparently obvious who is always in danger of committing such an act (suicide)...
All those that question the validity of the movie - in terms of its stereotypical characters (the obligatory gay, the jock, the disabled kid, etc) - I'm not sure how long it has been since you were at school - but regardless of how amateurish the acting may be - the happenings that go one are surprisingly close to what may actually happen.
And all those that disregard the film as being so simple: just six teenagers with the regular teenage angst that pushes one over the edge... did anyone stop to think, and take notice that the girl who took her life wasn't actually one of those six!! As one comment points out - she had screen time of maybe 2min max (excluding the final scenes). I think the point of the film is not only to make an issue of teenage angst, and how far it can take someone - but also that it is no apparently obvious who is always in danger of committing such an act (suicide)...
despite some comments, this movie is innovating
joaosamarques25 October 2016
after watch more than 4000 movies, this one caught my attention.
after Reading the plot, i had a minimum of curiosity.
10 minutes after the beginning there was some movements from the movie, that caught my attention until the end. this is because i normally see only half of a movie, and than the other half the next day.
off course, along the movie you star wondering to whom is going to happen.
when the film is going towards the end, the twists begin.
that's when you pay even more attention, and watch an unpredictable end.
for me, the movie is wheel written, and very well shot.
good directing, good characters. the characters even show almost all type of students in high school.
8/10
after Reading the plot, i had a minimum of curiosity.
10 minutes after the beginning there was some movements from the movie, that caught my attention until the end. this is because i normally see only half of a movie, and than the other half the next day.
off course, along the movie you star wondering to whom is going to happen.
when the film is going towards the end, the twists begin.
that's when you pay even more attention, and watch an unpredictable end.
for me, the movie is wheel written, and very well shot.
good directing, good characters. the characters even show almost all type of students in high school.
8/10
It changed my perspective ...
ml_kitarist1 February 2007
This movie really touched me. Above being "the exact thing in teenagers generally troubled times" it goes one step beyond by showing detailed description of the characters in a rather pleasant and unexpected way. There is one part that I really liked about this movie. The mix of perspectives, that the unconventional characters show, is in my opinion the best segment in any teenage-related movie, I have ever seen. Makes me think back and realize that my teenage isn't as bright as expected of my common honesty, kindness, but seeing this movie made me realize a lot of other things, which would never occur to me, if I hadn't seen it. I recommend this movie to everyone, it really dazzled me, and sent my heart beat way up!I'm still shaking!
Well done
paulmartin-230 October 2006
This was quite an accomplishment by the young director. Being a big fan of Gus van Sant's Elephant, I found the derivation in this film a bit distracting. If you haven't seen Elephant, that won't bother you.
I found the interspersed black and white 'talking heads' interviews artificial and contrived and the film would have benefited if they had been edited out. The ending was more graphic (violent) than needed and the whodunit aspect was also a little unnecessary.
These criticisms aside, this was a remarkable effort by the young director and his credit at the end was very moving. The film was beautifully photographed, and the hand-held digital camera was used to great effect. The tree scenes were nicely done. The actors generally performed quite well. Though I like Gary Sweet, the film would have benefited by using an unknown, in keeping with the authentic look of the film.
Definitely better than average film, and the director has great potential.
I found the interspersed black and white 'talking heads' interviews artificial and contrived and the film would have benefited if they had been edited out. The ending was more graphic (violent) than needed and the whodunit aspect was also a little unnecessary.
These criticisms aside, this was a remarkable effort by the young director and his credit at the end was very moving. The film was beautifully photographed, and the hand-held digital camera was used to great effect. The tree scenes were nicely done. The actors generally performed quite well. Though I like Gary Sweet, the film would have benefited by using an unknown, in keeping with the authentic look of the film.
Definitely better than average film, and the director has great potential.
Hard to watch in places... but that makes it a very watchable movie!
coneybear18 July 2007
There is some very heavy subject matter in this movie but I think it is used to make a broad statement that will be useful and relevant to a wide audience. That statement being that emotions and human behavior are not always what you expect they will be.
It was pretty hard to watch at times because of the "in your face" nature of some scenes such as incest, masturbation, suicide, gay kissing, bullying, etc but if you are in a "serious movie" mood then it is well worth a watch.
Some of the acting wasn't quite perfect but you will always get that with the young actors required for college based movies, and all in all the acting was of a decent standard.
I think the final scene needn't have been so long and so graphic but that is only a small gripe, and people less marshmallow than myself may not agree!
The style and content of the movie reminded me a lot of the 2003 film 'Elephant'.
It was pretty hard to watch at times because of the "in your face" nature of some scenes such as incest, masturbation, suicide, gay kissing, bullying, etc but if you are in a "serious movie" mood then it is well worth a watch.
Some of the acting wasn't quite perfect but you will always get that with the young actors required for college based movies, and all in all the acting was of a decent standard.
I think the final scene needn't have been so long and so graphic but that is only a small gripe, and people less marshmallow than myself may not agree!
The style and content of the movie reminded me a lot of the 2003 film 'Elephant'.
Moving/Heartbreaking/Honest Film
movieman212126 June 2006
I think this film has to be one of the most moving, and heartbreaking films of recent times.
The film basically starts off with a suicide in a school toilet. U don't see who it is, then from there it goes to the beginning of the day, and we get to know 6 characters, and they are going through some pretty heavy things, anyway eventually one of them will commit suicide.
I've been teaching Physical Education in schools for 8 years now, and never in a film have I seen such an accurate portrayal of what 'really' goes on in school life.
The film is shot beautifully, and sounds incredible.
The ending is so shocking, and so what one would not expect, it is something that will haunt me for days to come.
This is Definitely one to watch.
I think the fact that the Director/Writer was in school only a few years ago is a major contributing factor to the raw honesty expressed in the film.
The film is shot in two separate 'modes' if you will. Firstly there is the smooth observation style where we get to know the characters in their school environment as they go through their drama, but the stunning part of the film is in the interview sections, where we get to know the characters back stories, and their deepest, darkest thoughts.
You keep wondering, who is it going to be (who commits suicide) and as the drama unfolds you keep changing your mind, until bam, it hits you in the face in the final five minutes. I am all over the place in my writing, but I've just seen it at a Media screening in Australia, and I am still in a bit of shock.
It's one of the best Australian Films I have seen in recent years.
The film basically starts off with a suicide in a school toilet. U don't see who it is, then from there it goes to the beginning of the day, and we get to know 6 characters, and they are going through some pretty heavy things, anyway eventually one of them will commit suicide.
I've been teaching Physical Education in schools for 8 years now, and never in a film have I seen such an accurate portrayal of what 'really' goes on in school life.
The film is shot beautifully, and sounds incredible.
The ending is so shocking, and so what one would not expect, it is something that will haunt me for days to come.
This is Definitely one to watch.
I think the fact that the Director/Writer was in school only a few years ago is a major contributing factor to the raw honesty expressed in the film.
The film is shot in two separate 'modes' if you will. Firstly there is the smooth observation style where we get to know the characters in their school environment as they go through their drama, but the stunning part of the film is in the interview sections, where we get to know the characters back stories, and their deepest, darkest thoughts.
You keep wondering, who is it going to be (who commits suicide) and as the drama unfolds you keep changing your mind, until bam, it hits you in the face in the final five minutes. I am all over the place in my writing, but I've just seen it at a Media screening in Australia, and I am still in a bit of shock.
It's one of the best Australian Films I have seen in recent years.
2:37
amy_32111 September 2013
The international success of Australian films are very low, due to the very much lack of talent with both directors and actors. But then 2:37 came along. At first glimpse the plot is very much clichéd and nothing we haven't seen done before. High school students, with their own problems, moaning about their 'sad' and 'awful' lives. And you can already guess that they will be portrayed by actors in their late twenties, with as good acting skills as your next door neighbour's cat. However, the acting is truly superb, it's terrifyingly believable and honest (Teresa Palmer especially surprised me). Characters develop throughout the film, and prove they are more than one dimensional. The plot is more than enough to keep you interested, as well as guessing. The structure is inventive and provides you with a good narrative of the characters. A huge well done to the actors who in all fairness didn't have much of a great script to work with. The look of the film was also quite disappointing, as it did have a 'school media project' vibe going on. All in all, I'd recommend it. It's a really good film with true emotions, despite the fact it is emotional intense all the way through (and I mean ALL the way through!) the ending is worth the wait, and the acting speaks for itself. Give it a go, I can guarantee you'll be surprised, who knows you might shed a tear...
Not for the faint hearted. it's difficult to tell who will love this film and who will find it thoroughly abhorred
john_keats19 August 2006
Well... What to say.
I think i shall start with a confession. I have cried 4 times in my life. once when my dad died, twice due to a girlfriend in high school, and at the end of this film. This film deals with the real confronting issues of 6 school kids, forcing them quite uncomfortably into the open for all the world to see. i have never seen a film that deals with the human emotional condition as well as this. everything from incest to incontinence is covered here and i doubt there are many people who are safe from the sting of familiarity with at least a couple of scenes.
It starts off with a suicide. at 2:37pm. then without letting you know who it was that died, the story begins to be told from the start of the day. it follows the lives of 6 school kids up until 2:37pm. it interchangeably, and edited with personal interviews of the 6 teenagers, lets you know everything about their lives. their loves, hates, dreams, desires, secrets, shame, false confidence, self loathing, corruption and arrogance. the overall outcome of which is a sort of "whodunnit" trying to discover the identity of the suicidal before it is revealed at the end of the film. without spoiling anything i must let you know. do not feel cheated by the ending. it contains a very important lesson.
And now a warning. this film is definitely NOT for the faint hearted. Many people actually walked out of the cinema half way through when i saw it. Disgusted by some of it's content. Or perhaps it's that it's sometimes hard to face the cold hard truth of reality. This is what high school is like for many people. i'm sure most would agree.
I think i shall start with a confession. I have cried 4 times in my life. once when my dad died, twice due to a girlfriend in high school, and at the end of this film. This film deals with the real confronting issues of 6 school kids, forcing them quite uncomfortably into the open for all the world to see. i have never seen a film that deals with the human emotional condition as well as this. everything from incest to incontinence is covered here and i doubt there are many people who are safe from the sting of familiarity with at least a couple of scenes.
It starts off with a suicide. at 2:37pm. then without letting you know who it was that died, the story begins to be told from the start of the day. it follows the lives of 6 school kids up until 2:37pm. it interchangeably, and edited with personal interviews of the 6 teenagers, lets you know everything about their lives. their loves, hates, dreams, desires, secrets, shame, false confidence, self loathing, corruption and arrogance. the overall outcome of which is a sort of "whodunnit" trying to discover the identity of the suicidal before it is revealed at the end of the film. without spoiling anything i must let you know. do not feel cheated by the ending. it contains a very important lesson.
And now a warning. this film is definitely NOT for the faint hearted. Many people actually walked out of the cinema half way through when i saw it. Disgusted by some of it's content. Or perhaps it's that it's sometimes hard to face the cold hard truth of reality. This is what high school is like for many people. i'm sure most would agree.
How to sum up tragedies
circadianrhythm19 July 2007
Being featured at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and gaining quite some fame, this movie appears to be another modern and profound school drama.
It's about a bunch of adolescents who get through a revealing and desperate day at school. Everything's circling around a suicide - shown at the very beginning to some extent - that happens at 2:37pm. The characters are somehow all connected with each other. What moves them is described via short interview sequences, strictly shot in b/w. The characters are well written, the acting is intriguing (especially Teresa Palmer as Melody and Frank Sweet as Marcus are discoveries).
Let's stick to the movies' technique. That's what really impressed me. There rarely are cuts, most of the time the camera follows one of the protagonists like in Gus van Sants' Elephant. Some scenes are presented more often than once, but each time from a different point of view (here: character). This surely evokes a slowly developing, but grabbing atmosphere that drags you inside literally. The colours are vibrant, somehow unfitting considering the tough plot - but that's nothing less than a clever contrast, a disturbing 'everything's fine thing'. The use of lighting is adequate all the time, underlining the characters' actual mood. And finally, there are decent placements of music.
2:37 somehow itches you from the very beginning. It does not compromise nor does it serve laughter. It rather strings together what psychologists would define as terror moments. This movie substantially focuses on emotional precipices. There ain't nobody who's not to handle some kind of neurosis, even the depicted minor parts (e.g. the teachers) seem to be in some state of disorder. And that is what keeps this movie from being really good. Its summing up of piercing tragedies is unrealistic to its very bones. There is no: friendship, love, smiling, truth, passion. There is: faking, humiliation, despair, sickness and beating up. It's like being hit in the face real hard all the time, but you are numb after the first hour. This flick keeps on hitting you, until it reveals something quite instructive in the end.
For being sensitively and superbly acted: 9. For being technically innovative and original: 9. For being unidimensional: 3.
Makes a solid 7 out of 10.
It's about a bunch of adolescents who get through a revealing and desperate day at school. Everything's circling around a suicide - shown at the very beginning to some extent - that happens at 2:37pm. The characters are somehow all connected with each other. What moves them is described via short interview sequences, strictly shot in b/w. The characters are well written, the acting is intriguing (especially Teresa Palmer as Melody and Frank Sweet as Marcus are discoveries).
Let's stick to the movies' technique. That's what really impressed me. There rarely are cuts, most of the time the camera follows one of the protagonists like in Gus van Sants' Elephant. Some scenes are presented more often than once, but each time from a different point of view (here: character). This surely evokes a slowly developing, but grabbing atmosphere that drags you inside literally. The colours are vibrant, somehow unfitting considering the tough plot - but that's nothing less than a clever contrast, a disturbing 'everything's fine thing'. The use of lighting is adequate all the time, underlining the characters' actual mood. And finally, there are decent placements of music.
2:37 somehow itches you from the very beginning. It does not compromise nor does it serve laughter. It rather strings together what psychologists would define as terror moments. This movie substantially focuses on emotional precipices. There ain't nobody who's not to handle some kind of neurosis, even the depicted minor parts (e.g. the teachers) seem to be in some state of disorder. And that is what keeps this movie from being really good. Its summing up of piercing tragedies is unrealistic to its very bones. There is no: friendship, love, smiling, truth, passion. There is: faking, humiliation, despair, sickness and beating up. It's like being hit in the face real hard all the time, but you are numb after the first hour. This flick keeps on hitting you, until it reveals something quite instructive in the end.
For being sensitively and superbly acted: 9. For being technically innovative and original: 9. For being unidimensional: 3.
Makes a solid 7 out of 10.
Well shot, well intentioned, and utterly wrong headed.
sethrp-111 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I caught 2:37 at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles. It's a very well shot first film (though the DV format begins to show itself in outside scenes), and I'm sure it has good intentions of showing us the "dark side" of high school - in other words every side of high school. But the filmmaker doesn't have the talent to write or direct up to the premise's promise. There are several characters, but none of them are any more than what the plot requires them to be. There's no depth to these caricatures beyond the machinations of "I am troubled teen X, I have Y problem." The perceived roles of men and women in this story are phenomenally troublesome.
Let's start with the men. You have the stoner kid who's gay, the jock who's also gay, the boy who rapes his sister, and Mr. Peepants. As the stereotype requires, all gay men must be sexually unfulfilled and violent toward women and themselves. Naturally (or unnaturally as the stereotype assumes), the two gay male characters beat up women, Peepants, and themselves. I'd be perfectly fine with these characterizations if the stereotypes were turned on their heads, or if the characters somehow transcended them. Yet neither took place, and that's all there is to these characters' stories.
Next, the ladies. One young woman wants to be a bulimic housewife, another is the pregnant rapee of the sister-raping brother, and there's the girl who kills herself (I'll get to that later). Again, I don't think there's a requirement of political correctness for filmmakers (I'd be out of a job were that the case), but I do think that it's only justified if there's more to that character or story. If that archetype were being used to reveal something about character other than "I'm a teenager and life sucks," I'd be happy as a clam. But nothing new is revealed! Nothing is subverted, or changed, or sublimated.
Finally, the girl who kills herself. This is blunt and HIGHLY sloppy storytelling. We're supposed to sit through 5 minutes of a girl violently killing herself who we've seen for maybe 30 seconds through the whole film? We've followed all these other stories for an hour and a half, and now we're invited to torture ourselves for a character that isn't part of the story? It's cheap, exploitative, and sloppy. Despite the millions of crappy indie films that came before this, you have to EARN something like that. You can't simply purchase it on credit. So this suicide happens, we get wrap-ups from the characters that go similarly nowhere but down, and the film ends. What have I learned? I already knew high school sucked - been there, done that. I already knew people have stereotypical views of gay men and young women. I already knew that kids with disabilities are mocked.
What else is there, then? Smoke, mirrors, and some really nice views of leaves. Oh, and the nastiest deus ex machina I've seen in a while.
Let's start with the men. You have the stoner kid who's gay, the jock who's also gay, the boy who rapes his sister, and Mr. Peepants. As the stereotype requires, all gay men must be sexually unfulfilled and violent toward women and themselves. Naturally (or unnaturally as the stereotype assumes), the two gay male characters beat up women, Peepants, and themselves. I'd be perfectly fine with these characterizations if the stereotypes were turned on their heads, or if the characters somehow transcended them. Yet neither took place, and that's all there is to these characters' stories.
Next, the ladies. One young woman wants to be a bulimic housewife, another is the pregnant rapee of the sister-raping brother, and there's the girl who kills herself (I'll get to that later). Again, I don't think there's a requirement of political correctness for filmmakers (I'd be out of a job were that the case), but I do think that it's only justified if there's more to that character or story. If that archetype were being used to reveal something about character other than "I'm a teenager and life sucks," I'd be happy as a clam. But nothing new is revealed! Nothing is subverted, or changed, or sublimated.
Finally, the girl who kills herself. This is blunt and HIGHLY sloppy storytelling. We're supposed to sit through 5 minutes of a girl violently killing herself who we've seen for maybe 30 seconds through the whole film? We've followed all these other stories for an hour and a half, and now we're invited to torture ourselves for a character that isn't part of the story? It's cheap, exploitative, and sloppy. Despite the millions of crappy indie films that came before this, you have to EARN something like that. You can't simply purchase it on credit. So this suicide happens, we get wrap-ups from the characters that go similarly nowhere but down, and the film ends. What have I learned? I already knew high school sucked - been there, done that. I already knew people have stereotypical views of gay men and young women. I already knew that kids with disabilities are mocked.
What else is there, then? Smoke, mirrors, and some really nice views of leaves. Oh, and the nastiest deus ex machina I've seen in a while.
Beautiful Yet Disturbing
Izzy_Duquette7 September 2008
At 2:37pm in a bathroom at an Adelaide highschool a student takes their own life and the different worlds of six teenagers are changed forever.
2:37 is a brutal, honest and breathtaking film centered on the pain of being a teenager. The film follows one day in the lives of six teenagers, all intertwined, all dealing with their own personal dramas. While there are a couple of stereotypes in the mix the beautiful would-be popular girl dealing with body issues, the over-achiever obsessed with his grades, there are several horrors that are as far from main-stream as you can get, including a social outcast dealing with a brutal illness and a young girl trying to make sense of a devastating event in her past.
The movie is mixed with documentary-style interviews from the characters, which some viewers may find a little out of place in the otherwise seamless narrative. The pace is also a little slow, but it fits with the feel of the movie. The young Australian actors are all stars in their own right, in particular Theresa Palmer who's heartbreaking performance earned her an AFI nomination.
The film is very well shot, with terrific direction. Some scenes are a little hard to watch in particular the five-minute-long suicide scene, but overall it is a film that leaves a big impact on its' viewers. It draws you in right from it's shocking opening scene and keeps you guessing as to which of the six main characters is going to be the one to end up in the bathroom. Ultimately, it's a beautiful made, but slightly disturbing look at teenage life.
2:37 is a brutal, honest and breathtaking film centered on the pain of being a teenager. The film follows one day in the lives of six teenagers, all intertwined, all dealing with their own personal dramas. While there are a couple of stereotypes in the mix the beautiful would-be popular girl dealing with body issues, the over-achiever obsessed with his grades, there are several horrors that are as far from main-stream as you can get, including a social outcast dealing with a brutal illness and a young girl trying to make sense of a devastating event in her past.
The movie is mixed with documentary-style interviews from the characters, which some viewers may find a little out of place in the otherwise seamless narrative. The pace is also a little slow, but it fits with the feel of the movie. The young Australian actors are all stars in their own right, in particular Theresa Palmer who's heartbreaking performance earned her an AFI nomination.
The film is very well shot, with terrific direction. Some scenes are a little hard to watch in particular the five-minute-long suicide scene, but overall it is a film that leaves a big impact on its' viewers. It draws you in right from it's shocking opening scene and keeps you guessing as to which of the six main characters is going to be the one to end up in the bathroom. Ultimately, it's a beautiful made, but slightly disturbing look at teenage life.
Two, thirty-seven
cilek-zeyno8 January 2012
We watched this film in class in order to hear the Australian accent. Because of this I focused on the player's speaking more than subject of the film. But as watched from the beginning to the end I thought that how the nonsense film because anybody in this film feel happy in any moment. And I do not like such a drama films very much especially in a crowded areas like class while everybody commenting. Except for this I think there was a no connection between events. I think the director and the scriptwriter wanted to us think about events and correlate them each other. And I tried but sometimes I could not correlate them. End of the film we all thought that the fat boy took his life, but when we saw the girl in blood we surprised. And I thought that she extremely right because she felt unhappy, alone and she is in depression. Until I watched this film I had found taking someone's own life nonsense but if I were her maybe I did the same thing. And in this film this depression that she in reflect the audiences successfully. I liked this film very much in this aspect.
Plagiarising +Expolitative
snia000319 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This would have some merit if it wasn't a carbon copy of Gus Van Sant's Elephant. From the use of classical music to the long tracking shots to shots occasional cutting to shots of tree leaves (Van Sant does this also but uses clouds for the cutaways). Furthermore, the rape scene and the "twist" behind it is simply there to be controversial and shock audiences. It's intentions (these aforementioned devices) are so transparent that it fails dysmally.
The events leading up to the suicide are so melodramatic and exaggerated and completely lack any subtlety that they'd be better suited to an episode of Home and Away.
The fact that the story plays out more like a whodunnit thriller ends up undermining the whole point of the film. It's so caught up in it's own supposed cleverness that the viewer would almost feel cheated if they weren't treated to a suicide at the end.
What does the film say about suicide that we don't already know? It presents us with stock standard teenage problems without any new insight.
The acting is the only redeemable aspect of the film.
The events leading up to the suicide are so melodramatic and exaggerated and completely lack any subtlety that they'd be better suited to an episode of Home and Away.
The fact that the story plays out more like a whodunnit thriller ends up undermining the whole point of the film. It's so caught up in it's own supposed cleverness that the viewer would almost feel cheated if they weren't treated to a suicide at the end.
What does the film say about suicide that we don't already know? It presents us with stock standard teenage problems without any new insight.
The acting is the only redeemable aspect of the film.
Teenage angst
atlantis200631 March 2011
"No man is an island" wrote John Donne in a poem. And, certainly, to think of the human being as an isolated creature makes little sense. We are, after all, social animals. We need others, and we need them desperately. Thalluri's film deals with the intensity of high school and the need of the other, presenting a handful of characters that coexist in the same place. We cannot say they are friends, they barely know each other, each of them carries a burden so heavy that they become estranged, alone, and that's when the fear of losing one's own humanity is ignited.
We have the case of Marcus and Melody: brother and sister. They come from a wealthy family, well structured around male hegemony. Their father is very much alike the primordial father from a tribe that Fred describes in Totem and Taboo. This primordial father can have carnal knowledge with his offspring, because in these mythical prehistoric time no such thing as incest exists; however, the jealous sons will savagely kill the father, this powerful alpha male (a figure that bears some resemblance with Lacan's inverted E, which symbolized "the one man not castrated"). By killing the totem-father only taboo remains, and thus incest becomes the ultimate sin. When Marcus witnesses his father having sex he attributes this attitude as a total disregard for moral codes, after all, Marcus seems to imply that his father acts in such a way that he has no choice but to witness the coitus. This traumatic event triggers something deep inside his consciousness and as a result the incest fantasy and the rape fantasy will become firmly inserted in his psyche.
The first scene with Luke, the high school jock, is most revealing, as we see him in his bedroom, in front of his computer, stroking his penis most vigorously. What images appear in the computer screen? Luke is struggling with his own sexuality, he is in a place that Lacan would denominate 'minus phi' which is the inscription of a point of fracture in the imaginary, that indicates a certain fissure that affects the constitution of the libidinal object in which one's own image finds support.
"Uneven" Steven is a kid that suffers of genetic malformations, not only does he have one leg longer than the other, but he also has a condition that makes him lose control of his sphincters, and as a result he wets himself in class, becoming the target for everyone's cruel jokes.
Then there is Sean, a boy that openly assumes his homosexuality and pays the price for it, being constantly mocked by Luke's friends and other guys in school. The only way for him to cope with this is escaping into a world of stupor produced by his marijuana consumption.
Finally there are two girls that play a very relevant role in this film, that owes much to Gus Van Sant's (listed in the credits) realistic and insightful approach of adolescence: Sarah, Luke's girlfriend, makes the mistake of caring too much for her boyfriend, and consequently once she begins to have doubts about her future with him, everything falls apart. Kelly, on the other hand, is perhaps the nicest person in school. She seems to genuinely try to help everyone, she is kind with boys and girls, instead of creating problems she tries to find a solution for them. When everyone attacks Steven she makes sure he's going to be OK.
However, all of them suffer from teenage angst. But this is not the typical, cliché angst. Lacanian psychoanalysts might ask why despite all the amount of scientific knowledge that has been accumulated, and the efforts to establish theories that presuppose to grant us reassurance (Levis Straus structuralism and Hegel historicism that aims towards the acquisition of the Absolute Knowledge, in other words a conceptualization that implies a theory without remainders) we still experience restlessness? Lacan asked himself "why is it that we so much want to preserve the dimension of anxiety?". Anxiety is a horrible thing and yet is there a human need to preserve it? In this regard Kierkegaard may be closer to the question of angst when he speaks about the psychological ambiguity concerning this concept "Anxiety is a sympathetic antipathy and an antipathetic sympathy". Arguably, the existence of angst points out to something that cannot be reduced to a rational category, and without which a truly reflection on the question of ethics is useless. We find this sympathetic antipathy in characters like Marcus, who has a strong relationship with his sister and at the same time despises her. The antipathetic sympathy is present in Kelly, the sweetest girl that treats everyone kindly but that secretly feels alienated, incapable of anything but antipathy for herself.
However they are all connected, and what they do will affect the lives of the others. What happens then when during the first minutes of the film someone commits suicide? Life is a tricky business, that's for sure. But life as teenagers can be even trickier.
We have the case of Marcus and Melody: brother and sister. They come from a wealthy family, well structured around male hegemony. Their father is very much alike the primordial father from a tribe that Fred describes in Totem and Taboo. This primordial father can have carnal knowledge with his offspring, because in these mythical prehistoric time no such thing as incest exists; however, the jealous sons will savagely kill the father, this powerful alpha male (a figure that bears some resemblance with Lacan's inverted E, which symbolized "the one man not castrated"). By killing the totem-father only taboo remains, and thus incest becomes the ultimate sin. When Marcus witnesses his father having sex he attributes this attitude as a total disregard for moral codes, after all, Marcus seems to imply that his father acts in such a way that he has no choice but to witness the coitus. This traumatic event triggers something deep inside his consciousness and as a result the incest fantasy and the rape fantasy will become firmly inserted in his psyche.
The first scene with Luke, the high school jock, is most revealing, as we see him in his bedroom, in front of his computer, stroking his penis most vigorously. What images appear in the computer screen? Luke is struggling with his own sexuality, he is in a place that Lacan would denominate 'minus phi' which is the inscription of a point of fracture in the imaginary, that indicates a certain fissure that affects the constitution of the libidinal object in which one's own image finds support.
"Uneven" Steven is a kid that suffers of genetic malformations, not only does he have one leg longer than the other, but he also has a condition that makes him lose control of his sphincters, and as a result he wets himself in class, becoming the target for everyone's cruel jokes.
Then there is Sean, a boy that openly assumes his homosexuality and pays the price for it, being constantly mocked by Luke's friends and other guys in school. The only way for him to cope with this is escaping into a world of stupor produced by his marijuana consumption.
Finally there are two girls that play a very relevant role in this film, that owes much to Gus Van Sant's (listed in the credits) realistic and insightful approach of adolescence: Sarah, Luke's girlfriend, makes the mistake of caring too much for her boyfriend, and consequently once she begins to have doubts about her future with him, everything falls apart. Kelly, on the other hand, is perhaps the nicest person in school. She seems to genuinely try to help everyone, she is kind with boys and girls, instead of creating problems she tries to find a solution for them. When everyone attacks Steven she makes sure he's going to be OK.
However, all of them suffer from teenage angst. But this is not the typical, cliché angst. Lacanian psychoanalysts might ask why despite all the amount of scientific knowledge that has been accumulated, and the efforts to establish theories that presuppose to grant us reassurance (Levis Straus structuralism and Hegel historicism that aims towards the acquisition of the Absolute Knowledge, in other words a conceptualization that implies a theory without remainders) we still experience restlessness? Lacan asked himself "why is it that we so much want to preserve the dimension of anxiety?". Anxiety is a horrible thing and yet is there a human need to preserve it? In this regard Kierkegaard may be closer to the question of angst when he speaks about the psychological ambiguity concerning this concept "Anxiety is a sympathetic antipathy and an antipathetic sympathy". Arguably, the existence of angst points out to something that cannot be reduced to a rational category, and without which a truly reflection on the question of ethics is useless. We find this sympathetic antipathy in characters like Marcus, who has a strong relationship with his sister and at the same time despises her. The antipathetic sympathy is present in Kelly, the sweetest girl that treats everyone kindly but that secretly feels alienated, incapable of anything but antipathy for herself.
However they are all connected, and what they do will affect the lives of the others. What happens then when during the first minutes of the film someone commits suicide? Life is a tricky business, that's for sure. But life as teenagers can be even trickier.
impressive story
candan-artut25 December 2011
I think 2:37 certainly should be seen by parents and teachers. Because nobody knows that what happen of teenagers' life and about their worlds. And , I think so many parents do not want to understand them and parents have never thought that teenagers have problems. That idea can not be accepted. Actually, they fight with themselves as in this movie. There are six teenagers and different problems. Although all of them to be friend, in reality not. Everyone busy with yourself but one.all of them have problems and most teenagers do not look around . just they want to change something according to them. In my opinion, these people are miserable because they don't never know what is the friendship. It is really shame for them. Anyway, that one lives bad days. She loves Marcus but he doesn't care her love. Maybe it is seen that she has not got any problems in her life. but actually nobody cares somebody's life or problems or such as other things in that school. They don't communicate with each other. she consistently tries to speak Marcus. But he doesn't want to speak with her. Then ,she starts to be desperate. although she is interested in friends, nobody does not take care of hers . So, she decides to kill herself.
dark side
berna_ylkln26 December 2011
It's one of the best Australian Films I have seen in recent years. I shall start with a confession. Actually, I do not want to watch this film. But my teacher said that you must watch this film.So, I started to watch.The story takes place during a normal school day. It starts off with a suicide. at 2:37pm. The movie gives an insight into what unfortunately is everyday life for a lot of school kids. It shows us the "dark side" of high school - in other words every side of high school. Some of us live outside that environment and would walk by and not know what is happening. I think, our parents must watch this film, too. However, Some scenes are a little hard to watch
. It was a pleasure to see it .I applaud the fabulous casting of this film. We often watch troubled American children but often fail to understand. Because we I see, there is no problem in their life. . These are the stories of real kids. This film that leaves a big impact on its' viewers. The film sounds incredible. Ultimately, it's a beautiful made, but slightly disturbing look at teenage life. I wish, they show us some teenage's good sides.
Must see for anyone in high school or with kids in school.
jolbromski22 August 2006
It was riveting. I just could not look away. As the movie rolled on I started to feel that it was powerful and confronting, but i had no idea how much more intense it would get.
The movie gives an insight into what unfortunately is everyday life for a lot of school kids. Some of us live outside that environment and would walk by and not know what is happening.
Parents need to see this film in particular, just to see a glimpse of what their kids go through. Often parent dismiss their kids problems as trivial, but unfortunately to a high schooler they are massive. And unfortunately the problems can escalate into a tragedy.
Definitively a must see for all.
The movie gives an insight into what unfortunately is everyday life for a lot of school kids. Some of us live outside that environment and would walk by and not know what is happening.
Parents need to see this film in particular, just to see a glimpse of what their kids go through. Often parent dismiss their kids problems as trivial, but unfortunately to a high schooler they are massive. And unfortunately the problems can escalate into a tragedy.
Definitively a must see for all.
The film is about the life of the students of high-school.
sibelozcan-comu5 January 2012
'In high-school everyone feels pressure.' 2:37 starts with this sentence. So one can guess that the film is about life of the students of high-school and the difficulty of their life. Being a teenager is often hard because the teenager thinks that life is against them. In this film usual teenager problem is carried out. For instance, there are some students desire to succeed always, to fit in, to be perfect, and to be normal. One can come across this typical person in real life.
The characters in this film was really good when they acted their roles. I like all of them but I like some of them most. They are Melody, Steive, and the girl who kills herself.
Melody was lovely and calm girl. She was raped by her brother and then she became pregnant. And she called her mother but she didn't take enough concern. In this part of film one can easily observe the effect of indifferent parents on their children. The children who don't take enough interest feel alone and some time later they commit bad things.
Steive is really a man that should be appreciated because he is a sample of determination. No matter what happens to him he just put up and doesn't give up. And he is also patient because he doesn't stand against his deficiency and the criticisms from his friends. So I like him and I will take into consideration his patience and manners.
And I like also the girl who kills herself. She is quite ordinary. But one can understand at the end of the film that she feels all of her emotions inside of hers. When I noticed that the one who committed suicide is she, I was really confused at first. But after I thought of her, I acknowledge her to be right. Because she has nobody to explain herself.
And finally, I want to talk about the film generally. I like the music that played during the film. They helped me to feel the characters better. And the film managed to impress me.
The characters in this film was really good when they acted their roles. I like all of them but I like some of them most. They are Melody, Steive, and the girl who kills herself.
Melody was lovely and calm girl. She was raped by her brother and then she became pregnant. And she called her mother but she didn't take enough concern. In this part of film one can easily observe the effect of indifferent parents on their children. The children who don't take enough interest feel alone and some time later they commit bad things.
Steive is really a man that should be appreciated because he is a sample of determination. No matter what happens to him he just put up and doesn't give up. And he is also patient because he doesn't stand against his deficiency and the criticisms from his friends. So I like him and I will take into consideration his patience and manners.
And I like also the girl who kills herself. She is quite ordinary. But one can understand at the end of the film that she feels all of her emotions inside of hers. When I noticed that the one who committed suicide is she, I was really confused at first. But after I thought of her, I acknowledge her to be right. Because she has nobody to explain herself.
And finally, I want to talk about the film generally. I like the music that played during the film. They helped me to feel the characters better. And the film managed to impress me.
A strong and brilliant portrayal of school life.
mbilbetaylor7 August 2006
I had the pleasure of witnessing this brilliant film at a preview screening in Sydney. Although it was a pleasure to see it. Pleasure is not the emotion you are left with as the credits roll.
2:37 is a film that tackles not just one stigma felt by young individuals but all of them. Chief of which is isolation. It is not just to place the films final galvanising scene on a pedestal above the others, but rather it is important to see it as the culmination. And from that, it is important to realise what it represents to both you as the viewer and to the people directly effected by it.
2:37 is not a soft picture but the manner in which Mr Thalluri handles it's subject matter with a profound dignity and it's no holds barred approach acts as credit to it's message.
I do not believe films such as 2:37 should be scaled by votes of favour. Rather it should be recommended to those looking for purpose in their viewing.
A brilliantly crafted portrait of innocence lost. And a master stroke for a as of yet untaped talent.
Not to be missed.
2:37 is a film that tackles not just one stigma felt by young individuals but all of them. Chief of which is isolation. It is not just to place the films final galvanising scene on a pedestal above the others, but rather it is important to see it as the culmination. And from that, it is important to realise what it represents to both you as the viewer and to the people directly effected by it.
2:37 is not a soft picture but the manner in which Mr Thalluri handles it's subject matter with a profound dignity and it's no holds barred approach acts as credit to it's message.
I do not believe films such as 2:37 should be scaled by votes of favour. Rather it should be recommended to those looking for purpose in their viewing.
A brilliantly crafted portrait of innocence lost. And a master stroke for a as of yet untaped talent.
Not to be missed.
2:37
ozlem_ergun_0126 December 2011
One day, my friends came to my home. We thought to watch a movie and then we chose 2.37 depends on comments of the movie. I like it but, when it is combined our life experiences, you can misunderstand. Actually, the movie explains some true experiences because, people live these events in the world and they feel awful. I think this film should be one of the most moving, and heartbreaking films of recent times. The film stars with a suicide in a school bathroom at 2.37pm. The movie follows one day in the lives of six teenager with their own personal dramas, and their life are very different one another. Some scenes are a little hard to watch, in particular the five-minute-long suicide scene. I have never seen a film that deals with the human emotional condition as well as this. You try to find who is suicidal before it is revealed at the end of film. There is one girl but, she looks doesn't have any problem actually according to others. She tries to communicate with others but, they don't speak with her so much. According to me this movie gives 7.0 points. And I thought that, every parents should watched this movie.
You've got to be kidding
useranon9920 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This film is so copy-cat, cliché-ridden, clumsy, and laboured, I find it astounding that anyone could not feel cheated by the experience of sitting through it.
Here is the range of idiotic clichés, ridiculous psychologising, and simply unfeasible storytelling in this "hard hitting" representation of high school: The tough guy jock is really a homosexual. The A-student is unhappy because his father pushes him and somehow this causes him to commit incest. A teacher is mean to a student who wets his pants in class. A girl who is going out with the above-mentioned jock is really in love with him and "just wants a family".
Maybe the only saving grace is the student counsellor scenes which are vaguely interesting, but most of the devices in this film are so leaden that it beggars belief.
This film shows me no insight into teenagers and I will not be surprised when it bombs, especially with teenagers. The people who like this film seem to be parents worried about their teenagers, and boy are they barking up the wrong tree if they think this film will help with "understanding" teen issues. I mean, what is the moral of this film? "Hey guys, let's all look out for each other and hug each other" GIVE ME A BREAK. Anyone who thinks you can get through to a 14 year old with that kind of message needs to think back. In the 1980s we were watching Kentucky Fried Movie, Xtro, Porky's, Evil Dead, Terminator, etc. This film will fall on deaf ears.
2:37 is right up there with another Australian "indepedent" film, 'One Perfect Day,' which was as bad as this utter turkey of a film. Thank god no taxpayers money was spent on this boloney.
AVOID!!!!
Here is the range of idiotic clichés, ridiculous psychologising, and simply unfeasible storytelling in this "hard hitting" representation of high school: The tough guy jock is really a homosexual. The A-student is unhappy because his father pushes him and somehow this causes him to commit incest. A teacher is mean to a student who wets his pants in class. A girl who is going out with the above-mentioned jock is really in love with him and "just wants a family".
Maybe the only saving grace is the student counsellor scenes which are vaguely interesting, but most of the devices in this film are so leaden that it beggars belief.
This film shows me no insight into teenagers and I will not be surprised when it bombs, especially with teenagers. The people who like this film seem to be parents worried about their teenagers, and boy are they barking up the wrong tree if they think this film will help with "understanding" teen issues. I mean, what is the moral of this film? "Hey guys, let's all look out for each other and hug each other" GIVE ME A BREAK. Anyone who thinks you can get through to a 14 year old with that kind of message needs to think back. In the 1980s we were watching Kentucky Fried Movie, Xtro, Porky's, Evil Dead, Terminator, etc. This film will fall on deaf ears.
2:37 is right up there with another Australian "indepedent" film, 'One Perfect Day,' which was as bad as this utter turkey of a film. Thank god no taxpayers money was spent on this boloney.
AVOID!!!!
Very revealing and moving piece if film 10\10
sbayley8410 August 2006
I saw this movie tonight in a preview showing and it was fantastic. It does well in portraying issues that the average High School student is subjected to.
I left the movie feeling stunned and saddened and yet grateful that this movie will have a chance to raise awareness through its audiences regarding these issues (bullying, rape, suicide and depression).
Its a Fantastic Aussie Film.
Go see it.
Support it.
Learn from it.
I left the movie feeling stunned and saddened and yet grateful that this movie will have a chance to raise awareness through its audiences regarding these issues (bullying, rape, suicide and depression).
Its a Fantastic Aussie Film.
Go see it.
Support it.
Learn from it.
I guess we all have to start somewhere.....
janeane-baker17 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This movie made me think....of how I could write something about it without personally dissing the director and all the actors, who, as an Australian, I am proud of for actually getting out there and making a film.
But the movie itself? Let me tell you a story....
Found this DVD in my local rental shop yesterday and had vague recollections of the reviews at the time of cinema release here, so I thought I would give it a go.
For some reason, I decided to watch the 'special features' before I watched the actual movie, not something that I usually do. Turned the 'making of' off halfway through, as I'd had enough cringing at the 'aren't we so wonderful for putting together such a hard hitting film with such a raw script' attitude.
The movie? Ugh. Full of clichés and pathetic character development. The actors? Well done guys, you are Aussies and I applaud you. And, just like a footy team is only as good as the coach that directs them, you unfortunately did NOT have a great script to work with.
I felt that the movie actually trivialised so many of the subjects that it seemed to want to cover. I have seen many reviews here that refer to it as nothing more than a soap. Agreed.
Finally (and forgive me if I don't phrase this correctly), I was extremely disappointed that there were no optimistic overtones at all. Yes, we all know that life is full of hard stuff, and yes we know that things such as incest DO occur, but I really find it hard to applaud a movie that has not one piece of joy in it. I believe that a director has a responsibility to put it in there SOMEWHERE. Otherwise, the movie is all about THEM and THEIR feelings, they have created it for themselves, not for an audience.
Which I think is the basis of why this movie isn't so great. The special features mention that the director wrote the screenplay in a 36 hour sitting, the day after he himself tried to end his own life. Well, it may have been cathartic for him to do this, however the movie reeks of self-indulgence when you know the story behind why it was written. "I feel horrid, I'm going to write a movie about feeling horrid". (Note: I have read the interview with Andrew Urban, and understand WHY Thalluri needed to write something to help him through his own issues, but I believe there is a line in film that cannot be crossed - the line of making a movie purely for your own emotional needs, and I feel that this is what has unintentionally happened here)
By his own admission, the director had no technical experience at all, and sadly, this makes the movie come off looking like nothing more than a year twelve media project.
As for any recommendations that this movie should be studied at school, or that all teenagers should watch it - not sure there either. Because there is a VERY dangerous line at the end. I too have been in a place where I have thought that someone who no longer has to 'face life' is 'lucky', but as an adult, I do worry that this line could be influential on a young viewer that was in a vulnerable frame of mind. Might be in there to promote discussion, but again, it reflects no possibility of redemption or joy in this story as a whole. In fact, it almost indicates that there is more sadness to come.
I haven't seen Elephant, but I just might go find it, given all the comparisons here.
Nothing personal here guys, I do hope you can make another movie someday, and we all have to start out somewhere, so forgive me if I've been too harsh. I am glad that you are proud of what you created, which in the end is what life is all about. It's not a movie I would recommend though.
Oh, I DID like the way the time-frames often collided, thought that was an interesting way to film.
But the whole "Its the quiet ones you have to watch" - we already know that.
But the movie itself? Let me tell you a story....
Found this DVD in my local rental shop yesterday and had vague recollections of the reviews at the time of cinema release here, so I thought I would give it a go.
For some reason, I decided to watch the 'special features' before I watched the actual movie, not something that I usually do. Turned the 'making of' off halfway through, as I'd had enough cringing at the 'aren't we so wonderful for putting together such a hard hitting film with such a raw script' attitude.
The movie? Ugh. Full of clichés and pathetic character development. The actors? Well done guys, you are Aussies and I applaud you. And, just like a footy team is only as good as the coach that directs them, you unfortunately did NOT have a great script to work with.
I felt that the movie actually trivialised so many of the subjects that it seemed to want to cover. I have seen many reviews here that refer to it as nothing more than a soap. Agreed.
Finally (and forgive me if I don't phrase this correctly), I was extremely disappointed that there were no optimistic overtones at all. Yes, we all know that life is full of hard stuff, and yes we know that things such as incest DO occur, but I really find it hard to applaud a movie that has not one piece of joy in it. I believe that a director has a responsibility to put it in there SOMEWHERE. Otherwise, the movie is all about THEM and THEIR feelings, they have created it for themselves, not for an audience.
Which I think is the basis of why this movie isn't so great. The special features mention that the director wrote the screenplay in a 36 hour sitting, the day after he himself tried to end his own life. Well, it may have been cathartic for him to do this, however the movie reeks of self-indulgence when you know the story behind why it was written. "I feel horrid, I'm going to write a movie about feeling horrid". (Note: I have read the interview with Andrew Urban, and understand WHY Thalluri needed to write something to help him through his own issues, but I believe there is a line in film that cannot be crossed - the line of making a movie purely for your own emotional needs, and I feel that this is what has unintentionally happened here)
By his own admission, the director had no technical experience at all, and sadly, this makes the movie come off looking like nothing more than a year twelve media project.
As for any recommendations that this movie should be studied at school, or that all teenagers should watch it - not sure there either. Because there is a VERY dangerous line at the end. I too have been in a place where I have thought that someone who no longer has to 'face life' is 'lucky', but as an adult, I do worry that this line could be influential on a young viewer that was in a vulnerable frame of mind. Might be in there to promote discussion, but again, it reflects no possibility of redemption or joy in this story as a whole. In fact, it almost indicates that there is more sadness to come.
I haven't seen Elephant, but I just might go find it, given all the comparisons here.
Nothing personal here guys, I do hope you can make another movie someday, and we all have to start out somewhere, so forgive me if I've been too harsh. I am glad that you are proud of what you created, which in the end is what life is all about. It's not a movie I would recommend though.
Oh, I DID like the way the time-frames often collided, thought that was an interesting way to film.
But the whole "Its the quiet ones you have to watch" - we already know that.
Derivative ensemble teen drama
burntime-126 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Three parts Gus van Sant's 'Elephant' to one part Gregg Araki's 'Totally F***ed Up', the debut feature from 19 year old director Murali K Thalluri - which replaces a high school massacre with suicide - is a film so derivative that it borders on plagiarism.
This re-creation of Van Sant's 'an ordinary high school day - except that it's not' opened this year's 55th Melbourne International Film Festival to a largely underwhelmed audience.
Key elements such as tracking shots, temporal displacement, soundtrack and cinematography were copied almost verbatim from Van Sant's film.
Awkward dialogue and pacing, coupled with inconsistent performances from the amateur cast, ensured that the majority of the film's plot 'twists' were telegraphed to viewers far too soon.
While the inexperienced young director deserves kudos for financing his debut feature totally independently, the only merit in this earnest, awkward and unoriginal film lies in the fact that it was made at all.
This re-creation of Van Sant's 'an ordinary high school day - except that it's not' opened this year's 55th Melbourne International Film Festival to a largely underwhelmed audience.
Key elements such as tracking shots, temporal displacement, soundtrack and cinematography were copied almost verbatim from Van Sant's film.
Awkward dialogue and pacing, coupled with inconsistent performances from the amateur cast, ensured that the majority of the film's plot 'twists' were telegraphed to viewers far too soon.
While the inexperienced young director deserves kudos for financing his debut feature totally independently, the only merit in this earnest, awkward and unoriginal film lies in the fact that it was made at all.
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