Elephant Song (2014)

The next step on Monday afternoon was this Elephant Song, which I had picked up at the thrift store on a whim. And in terms of cast and synopsis, this didn't seem that strange to me, even quite interesting, but in practice, it turned out differently.

So, a conversation between a patient and a psychiatrist concerning information about a missing colleague. And this patient turns out to be quite cunning. Interesting enough, you might say. But subsequently, the flashback structure fails to work, the sparks between the patient and the psychiatrist also fail to materialize, and there are all sorts of peripheral issues surrounding the relationship between the psychiatrist and the nurse and a lost child that make me think: whatever...

The portrayal of the era with the cars is certainly striking, and I do briefly enjoy the interplay between patient and psychiatrist when a punch is thrown after yet another mean remark about the nurse, but that is where the deeper layer and meaning do not emerge for me, unless it is purely about the distraction, the smokescreen Michael creates to subsequently commit suicide with the chocolate.

But as already mentioned, none of it satisfies me, to say the least; the film feels hopelessly long and slow, even though the running time isn't that long at all, and I don't get the impression that the film comes across for even a minute. Therefore, no passing grade...

Translated from Dutch · View original