Polytechnique

How this film uses it

Villeneuve shot in black and white, with Pierre Gill as cinematographer. He has said the choice was partly to avoid showing blood on screen. The grey images remove any comfort from the violence, and you watch as a witness.

Where to see it

The classroom. The gunman orders the men out and keeps the women, then fires into the ceiling to show he is serious before he shoots them.

How this film uses it

The film does not tell its story in a straight line. It moves back and forth in time, so the attack and its aftermath inform each other. You learn what the day cost these people while you are still watching the day.

Where to see it

The cuts between the attack and what follows. The film returns to the school while also following Valérie and Jean-François through later years.

How this film uses it

Jean-François was ordered out of the classroom, and he returns to the school trying to help. The film then shows how that day weighs on him afterward. His story ends in tragedy, while Valérie's years later point to a different path.

Where to see it

Jean-François after the attack. Consumed by guilt, he later takes his own life, while Valérie learns she is pregnant.

How this film uses it

Villeneuve follows 2 students, Valérie and Jean-François, through the attack and what comes after. Karine Vanasse, who plays Valérie, helped produce the film and spoke with victims' families while preparing. The approach keeps you with 2 people instead of the headlines.

Where to see it

Valérie playing dead. She and Stéphanie lie still while the gunman moves through the school, and Stéphanie later dies of her injuries.