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{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Zero Day
| image          = Zero Day film.jpg
| caption        = Promotional release poster
| director       = [[Ben Coccio]]
| writer         = {{ubl|Ben Coccio|[[Christopher Coccio]]}}
| starring       = {{ubl|Andre Keuck|[[Cal Robertson]]}}
| producer       = Ben Coccio
| music          = Benji Cossa
| cinematography = Ben Coccio
| editing        = Ben Coccio<br>David Shuff
| distributor    = Avatar Films
| budget         = $20,000
| gross          = $8,466<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=zeroday.htm|title=Zero Day}}</ref>
| released       = {{Film date|2002|7|24}}
| country        = United States
| runtime        = 92 minutes
| language       = English
}}
'''''Zero Day''''' is a 2002 American [[Found footage (film technique)|found footage]] [[drama]] film written and directed by [[Ben Coccio]] and starring Andre Keuck and [[Cal Robertson]], revolving around a duo planning a  [[school shooting]] through the perspective of a [[Video camera|video filming camera]].<ref name=NewEnglandFilm>{{cite web|first=Amy |last=Roeder |title=Zero Score |url=http://www.newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/02september/zeroday.htm |publisher=New England Film |date=September 1, 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205111318/http://newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/02september/zeroday.htm |archive-date=February 5, 2010 }}</ref>
{{Columbine High School massacre}}

==Plot==
Andre Kriegman (born July 17, 1982) and Calvin "Cal" Gabriel (born February 5, 1983) announce their intention to attack Iroquois High School, where they are both students,<ref name="Zero Day website">{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialreport.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040614123519/http://www.officialreport.org/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-06-14|title=Welcome to the Essex County Sheriff's Department|date=2004-06-14|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref> calling their plan "Zero Day". Both teens are extremely troubled, Cal has [[depression (mood)|depression]] and [[suicidal ideation]] and Andre is a violent and hateful individual. The majority of the film is portrayed through their [[video camera|video filming camera]], and shows them documenting their planning and preparation for the attack, while hiding it from their friends and families. Their motive for the attack is inconclusive.

Other scenes show the two attending Andre's birthday party, [[egging]] the house of a fellow student they don't like, and Cal going to prom, while Andre works at a local pizza establishment. In one video entry, Cal notes the origin of the name "Zero Day": when Cal and Andre originally planned to attack the school on the first day that the temperature would drop to zero degrees Fahrenheit,  after they had finished their preparations. However, this only occurred once, during which Andre was sick, and they set May 1, 2001, as the new date. Wanting their attack to have a memorable name, they agreed to keep the original title.

The two arrive at school on the day of the attack and prepare their plan and weapons in Andre's car. Andre says that he could never have carried out Zero Day without Cal's help, a sentiment that Cal echoes. The video camera continues to film as they both run into the school through its west entrance, armed with a large number of firearms stolen from Andre's father and cousin, including both [[handguns]] and [[long guns]], as well as [[Improvised explosive device|homemade explosives]] and [[Knife|knives]]. The massacre is shown through the viewpoint of several [[CCTV|security cameras]] throughout the building, with audio of a 911 dispatcher playing in the background, who is attempting to persuade the two out of the attack and into surrendering peacefully. The dialogue is heard via the cellphone of student Omar, who was shot and killed.

Shooting at anyone they see and threatening and taunting several witnesses, Andre and Cal kill eleven students, one [[school resource officer]] and wound eighteen others by gunfire or by shrapnel from their homemade [[pipe bombs]].<ref name="Zero Day website" /> Eventually, the two see law enforcement surrounding the school after fourteen minutes of the incident in progress. After debating over whether to [[Shootout|exchange gunfire]] with police, the pair decide to commit [[suicide by gunshot]] inside the library of the school.

Nine days after the shooting on May 10, a group of teenagers film themselves driving to a memorial for those slain in the attack, which also includes both Andre and Cal. The group finds the pair's wooden crosses, before subsequently setting them on fire and swiftly escaping the area.

==Cast==
In order of appearance:
* Andre Keuck as Andre Kriegman
* [[Cal Robertson]] as Calvin Gabriel
* Christopher Coccio as Chris Kriegman
* Gerhard Keuck as Andre's Father
* Johanne Keuck as Andre's Mother
* Rachel Benichak as Rachel Lurie
* Pam Robertson as Cal's Mother
* Steve Robertson as Cal's Father
* Omar Walters as shooting victim Omar

==Production==
The director of the film, [[Ben Coccio]] recalls that he was in a pizzeria in [[Brooklyn|Brooklyn, New York]], just finishing his first [[35 mm movie film|35mm]] [[short film]], on the day of the 1999 [[Columbine High School massacre]], and saw coverage of the event on the eatery's television, commenting, "I remember thinking that I was surprised that it hadn't happened sooner." Coccio was also struck by the extent to which [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold]] planned that shooting, compared to the impromptu [[Crime of passion|crimes of passion]] that typified other school shootings. Coccio became eager to address a story in a way that was very different and not exploitative, and drew upon his own views of high school as a place of tension where "anything could happen at any time". Coccio felt as if it had to be "done just right." He continued, "if it turns into a oversimplified [[polemic]] or [[melodrama]], then it’s worse than making a bad movie—it’s taking a dump on someone’s grave." Coccio's theory of student school shooters is not that they are the most bullied, as such students tend to develop feelings of inferiority and are likely to harm themselves. Coccio feels that shooters tend to be students with feelings of ''superiority'', and that "when other people don't confirm that, it really gets under their skin."<ref name="NewEnglandFilm" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Coccio |first=Ben |date=2003-06-28 |title=How They Did It: The Making of Zero Day - MovieMaker Magazine |url=https://www.moviemaker.com/zero-day-3015/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=www.moviemaker.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

While working at a [[Temporary work|temporary job]] in March 2001, Coccio almost died during a [[Traffic collision|car crash]]. The experience gave him the motivation to make the movie, stating, "If I want to make a movie, I'd better make it, because tomorrow may never come". The idea of the video camera came while Coccio researched further into the Columbine High School massacre, where he discovered Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold#Journals and investigation|recorded part of their preparations for the massacre]] through a [[video camera]]. Coccio started writing the script in April, and shooting for the film began in July, and ended in October.<ref name=":0" />

None of the Connecticut high schools where he sought to film the movie would allow Coccio access, and he ended up using the interior of a building at [[State University of New York at Purchase|State University of New York]] in [[Purchase, New York|Purchase]], New York. The "appropriately fortress-like" exterior of the High School was [[New Milford High School (Connecticut)|New Milford High School]] in [[New Milford, Connecticut]], where Coccio lived at the time.<ref name="NewEnglandFilm" />

When casting, Coccio inquired at high schools throughout Connecticut looking for teenagers interested in acting who might not have much or any professional experience. Coccio had three days of open auditions. Andre Keuck responded to an ad Coccio placed in [[Backstage (publication)|Backstage Magazine]] and brought his classmate and fellow theater enthusiast Cal Robertson along to the audition. Both boys had acted in Shakespeare productions at the Stratford Avon Theater in [[Stratford, Connecticut]]. They were encouraged to improvise throughout the film's production.<ref name="NewEnglandFilm" />

==Website==
An official [[website]] was made as a [[tie-in]] to promote the film, made to look like an official [[police report]] by the fictional "Essex County Sheriff's Department" on the event, describing details about the massacre that were never seen in the final film and glimpses about the perpetrators, the weapons used, and mentions that the movie actually consists of footage sent at the request of Kriegman and Gabriel's parents to an [[Ben Coccio|amateur filmmaker friend]].<ref name="Zero Day website" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilonsky |first=Robert |date=2002-11-13 |title=Fake Out |url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts-culture/fake-out-6391979/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Dallas Observer |language=en-US}}</ref> The website is now archived by use of the [[Wayback Machine]], although some features pushing the narrative that it was real have been [[Lost media#Lost internet media|lost]].<ref name="Zero Day website" />{{primary source inline|date=November 2025}}

==Reception==
''Zero Day'' has received mostly positive reviews from critics, currently holding a 68% approval rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 41 critic reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zero Day (2003) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zero_day |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=14 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Despite the positive reception from critics and audiences, ''Zero Day'' was a box office bomb, gaining only $8,466 against a $20,000 budget.

At the 2002 [[Denver Film Festival]], Coccio took part in a panel with [[Michael Moore]], director of ''[[Bowling for Columbine]]'', [[Paul F. Ryan]], director of [[Home Room (2002 film)|''Home Room'']], and Tom Mauser, father of Columbine victim Daniel Masuer. During the panel, Mauser campaigned against the [[Gun show loophole|gun show loophole law]] in [[Colorado]]. The discussion also brought up violent films. According to Coccio, Mauser would watch all these films and would endorse them, saying, "it's a good thing people and artists and filmmakers are exploring this subject matter, we should all explore this subject matter". Mauser did not comment specifically on ''Zero Day'', Coccio speculated, "what he thought of my film I don't know, but if I had to guess I would think my film probably distressed him. But as I say, he endorsed these films across the board, which was a brave thing to do".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Applebaum |first=Stephen |title=BEN COCCIO - Confronting Columbine in Zero Day |url=https://www.netribution.co.uk/people/filmmaker/ben-coccio-confronting-columbine-in-zero-day |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Netribution |language=en-gb}}</ref>

Discussing mental illness and its portrayal in films, Alyssa Miller, a writer who writes for the site Scriptophobic.ca, wrote that "director Ben Coccio created a perfect portrayal of [[psychopathy]] in character Andre, who does not have remorse for the things he does, even if they are done to people close to him". On the other hand, Alyssa continues, "character Calvin, Andre's accomplice, is more of a [[Psychopathy#Sociopathy|sociopath]] due to his visible remorse towards the people he cares about and his reckless disregard for his own safety".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Alyssa |date=2018-05-20 |title=Psychopathy and Sociopathy in Zero Day (2003) |url=https://scriptophobic.ca/2018/05/20/the-haunted-and-the-sick-zero-day/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Scriptophobic |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Home releases ==
''Zero Day'' would receive its first [[DVD]] release in [[Japan]] on November 25, 2004, by Orustak Pictures. The release did not have a Japanese [[Dubbing|dub]], only Japanese [[subtitles]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ZERO DAY Movie DVD |url=https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/ORS-7005 |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=CDJapan |language=en}}</ref>

''Zero Day'' received a DVD release in the [[United States]] on April 5, 2005, by [[The Criterion Collection|Home Vision Entertainment]]. [[DVD extras|Extras]] on the DVD include a feature-length [[audio commentary]] featuring director Coccio, and actor Andre Keuck, a [[behind-the-scenes]] [[featurette]], "The 'Making of' ''Zero Day''", actors Keuck and [[Cal Robertson]] in a [[screen test]] and their full home videos that are partially seen earlier in the film during the title, as well as the film's [[Trailer (promotion)|theatrical trailer]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=DVD Talk |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/15073 |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=www.dvdtalk.com}}</ref>

On April 4, 2006, ''Zero Day'' received a DVD release in the [[United Kingdom]] by [[Fremantle (company)|FremantleMedia]]. For this release, a scene where the characters detailed a guide on how to build [[Improvised explosive device|homemade expolsives]] and to avoid capture was cut to comply with the [[British Board of Film Classification|BBFC]] Guidelines and Policy and the [[Video Recordings Act 1984]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBFC {{!}} BBFC |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/zero-day-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znje3mjq |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=www.bbfc.co.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

==Awards==
* [[Atlanta Film Festival]] – Grand Jury Award 2003<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Wendy |title=Atlanta Fest Awards Top Prize to Benjamin Coccio's Teen Drama "Zero Day" |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/atlanta-fest-awards-top-prize-to-benjamin-coccios-teen-drama-zero-day-79649/ |access-date=20 February 2025 |work=IndieWire |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |date=June 19, 2003 |quote=The 27th-annual Atlanta Film Festival wrapped its nine-day event on Saturday, with Benjamin Coccio’s “Zero Day,” about two violent teenagers, capturing the grand jury prize.}}</ref>
* [[Boston Underground Film Festival#Notable films featured|Boston Underground Film Festival]] – Best of Festival 2003<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Underground Film Festival |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000955/2003/1/ |website=IMDb |publisher=IMDb.com, Inc. |access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref>
* [[Film Fest New Haven]] – Audience Choice Award, Best Dramatic Feature 2002<ref>{{cite web |title=New Haven Film Fest (2002) |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000242/2002/1/#audience_choice_award |website=IMDb |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref>
* [[Florida Film Festival]] – Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature 2003<ref>{{cite web |title=Florida Film Festival (2003) |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000257/2003/1/#grand_jury_award_best_narrative_feature |website=IMDb |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref>
* [[Rhode Island Film Festival]] – Audience Award 2003<ref>{{Cite web |title=Avatar Films {{!}} Zero Day |url=https://www.avatarfilms.com/zero-day/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Guerrasio |first=Jason |date=2003-11-01 |title=Small State, Big Fest |url=https://independent-magazine.org/2003/11/01/small-state-big-fest/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Independent Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Slamdunk Film Festival]] – Grand Jury Award 2003<ref>{{cite web |last=Goodridge |first=Mike |date=2003-01-27 |title=Slamdunk honours Zero Day, Seven Songs |url=https://www.screendaily.com/slamdunk-honours-zero-day-seven-songs/4011949.article |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Screen }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of films featuring psychopaths and sociopaths]]
* ''[[Elephant (2003 film)|Elephant]]'', another Columbine-inspired film released in 2003
* ''[[Bowling for Columbine]]'', a documentary about gun violence in America with emphasis on the Columbine massacre
* ''[[Duck! The Carbine High Massacre]]'', a film made in 1999 inspired by the Columbine High School massacre
* ''[[Heart of America (film)|Heart of America]]'', another film revolving around a fictionalized school massacre
* ''[[The Only Way (2004 film)|The Only Way]]'', a 2004 independent film inspired by the Columbine High School massacre
* [[List of films set around May Day]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* {{IMDb title|id=0365960|title=Zero Day}}

{{School shootings in the United States}}

[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:2003 English-language films]]
[[Category:2003 independent films]]
[[Category:2003 drama films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:Films about the Columbine High School massacre]]
[[Category:2003 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:Found footage films]]
[[Category:Films about school violence]]
[[Category:American films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Films set in 2001]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Films shot in Connecticut]]
[[Category:2003 American films]]
[[Category:English-language drama films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:Found footage films about psychopaths and sociopaths]]
[[Category:Films about mass shootings]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Zero Day (film)|access_date=2026-03-08}}