Zero Day
Zero Day is a 2003 found-footage drama film written and directed by Ben Coccio, starring Andre Keuck and Calvin Robertson. The film surrounds two friends, Andre Kriegman and Calvin Gabriel, who make a series of home videos about their plans to commit a school shooting. The film released to mostly positive reviews from critics, however it was a financial failure and made only $8,466 in the box office compared to its $20,000 production budget. Since its release, it has gained a cult following, particularly among Columbiners and the larger True Crime Community due to it being inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre.
An official website was made to promote the film, and has been archived by the Wayback Machine. However, some components to the website, such as additional video and audio recordings, have been lost. The website provides extra details about Andre and Cal's backgrounds, and about the shooting.
Plot
Andre Kriegman and Calvin Gabriel are two troubled teenagers attending Iroquois High School in New Stratford, Connecticut. Their lives prior to meeting and planning their attack are vaguely explained in the tapes, but it is implied they suffered bullying at school as well as mental illness. Cal is deeply self-loathing and suicidal, while Andre is violent and angry. The home videos recorded by them span over the course of a year, showing the two speaking to the camera about their plans, how they acquired their weapons, and their interactions with their family and friends during this time. The name "Zero Day" came from their desire for the shooting to take place on the first day of the year where the temperature hit zero degrees; however Andre is sick on this day and the shooting is marked to take place on May 1st, 2001 instead.
The night before the attack, Andre and Cal record their final words, explaining the reasons for the shooting and wishing their families goodbye. Their final recording is right before they enter the school building, where Andre expresses his thankfulness for having been friends with Cal, saying "I don't know what would have happened to me if we hadn't been friends." Cal replies that he feels the same. The final shot on the tape is of them walking into the school with their weapons.
The shooting is recorded over security cameras in the school. The audio is captured by the phone of a student named Omar, who calls 911 but drops his phone when he is shot. The phone is then taken by Andre who keeps it on his person for the duration of the shooting, allowing the 911 operators to hear his and Cal's dialogue. Police arrive about sixteen minutes after the shooting begins. Andre suggests he and Cal go out and attack the police, while Cal believes he and Andre should end their lives before law enforcement reaches them. Andre is hesitant, but ultimately agrees. The two shoot themselves in the head, dying instantly.
Nine days later, a group of unnamed students enter school grounds at nighttime, where a makeshift memorial is displayed in the grass. Crosses have been erected for all those killed in the shooting, including Andre and Cal. The students find Andre and Cal's crosses and light them on fire. The film ends with a final shot of the crosses ablaze in the distance.
Characters
Andre Kriegman (born July 17th, 1982) - An angry and vindictive individual who sees Zero Day as his opportunity to kill those who wronged him. He is shown to be charismatic and manipulative, lying to his parents with ease and taking advantage of his cousin Chris, who unwittingly leads them to some of the weapons they will later use in the shooting. Rachel Lurie remarks that his anger is very clear when he interacts with others and says to Cal that she is worried he will become more like Andre. He is also very methodical and does most of the Zero Day planning. Andre's anger is more subtle than Cal's, as he appears calm and collected during their "missions". However, the film suggests he is also paranoid when he reacts somewhat fearfully during the scene in which Cal reads a poem while wearing the clothes he plans to wear during the shooting. During the scene in which they steal Chris' guns, Cal becomes anxious and Andre reassures him. When recording their final words, Andre seems remorseful towards his parents, telling his parents he loves them and to not worry about him and Cal. During the shooting, he is cold and focused solely on killing as many people as possible. Moments prior to killing themselves, Andre repeatedly interrupts Cal's countdown, which some have interpreted as Andre not wanting to die and possibly regretting what they had done.
Calvin "Cal" Gabriel (born February 5th, 1983) - An impulsive, depressed, and suicidal young man that sees Zero Day as a suicide mission. He appears relatively happy and "normal" to his family and friends, albeit socially awkward. Despite his shyness, he is still well-liked by Andre's family and his childhood friend, Rachel Lurie. Cal has a more passive role in the planning of Zero Day, letting Andre do most of the talking in their recordings. He is more at peace with the idea of dying after the massacre, explaining in his January 10th, 2001 recording that while Andre had a fantasy of shooting up their school and going from state to state doing the same thing, Cal would be "comin' out in a black plastic bag". During the shooting, he seems to have more fun in killing their peers, taunting and yelling at the terrified students and laughing when they plead or attempt to flee. When there is no one left alive in the library, his mood returns to completely neutral and he seems eager to end his life.
Rachel Lurie - Cal's childhood friend. She is sensitive and caring towards Cal, and is very suspicious of Andre. She tells Cal that he is very different with her than how he is with Andre, and she worries that Cal will become more like him. Despite her dislike for Andre, she respects Cal's choices and wishes to be on better terms with Andre.
Chris Kriegman - Andre's cousin. He is friendly and outgoing, and also has a passion for guns and shooting. He and a friend take Cal and Andre out shooting one day, and reveals to them where he keeps his guns stored. He is completely unaware of what they are planning. As Chris is putting away his guns after they return home from shooting, Cal drops a hint to him, asking which of the guns would be the best at killing someone. Chris, oblivious to his true meaning, replies that all of the guns could do so.
Fandom
Despite it's mostly positive reception, the film fell into obscurity. However, the rise of the True Crime Community sparked an interest in films surrounding massacres, and Zero Day gained a cult following alongside other films about school shootings inspired by Columbine, such as Elephant (2003) and Duck! The Carbine High Massacre (1999).
Many works created by fans revolve around Andre and Cal as a romantic pairing, especially since their relationship in the film could be reasonably interpreted as romantic. In a 2003 interview with director Ben Coccio, Coccio himself states: "I wanted to keep the relationship of Andre and Cal interesting, dynamic, and hard to dismiss. I wanted them to be intensely involved with one another in a way that is not obvious, but undeniable. For instance, when Cal goes to the prom, afterward he does not fulfill the social contract of that event by staying with his girl-friend and going to a hotel room or something. He ditches her and goes into Andre’s basement to make a video suicide note. I mean, we are beyond simple sexuality here and into a whole weird area."[1].
Additional Links
The full film is available on YouTube and on the Internet Archive.