Elephants

Elephants has greating writing, well developed characters and realistic relationships across the board. This is real life unfolding before our eyes and we all can identify with the story. Two thumps up!

All too realistic portrayal of passionate lovestory rekindled then sours. Beautifully and sensitively acted by talented newcomers of whom more is sure to come. Refreshing to see a new take on this theme . The music is superb as well. Enjoy !

This is a movie I've recommended to quite a few people as an example of what a true indie darling could and should be. The purpose of movies, and storytelling, should be to entertain and evoke emotion... this does so in spades.

You go from loving to hating characters quickly, but you understand them entirely. They feel real, thoughtful and lived in. They aren't infallible. They make well intentioned mistakes. They feel like real people... and most tellingly, for me, they felt like me... like someone who is not perfect and knows it.

No spoilers here but the turns and reversals land well amidst the continual upbeat tone. It's a healthy mix of good surprises and downfalls. I want more movies like this!

With the indie gem Elephants, Alex Hanno deftly delivers the kind of tonally-changing relationship interplay we pine for - and unfortunately don't often get - in a big studio romantic dramedy.

To draw us in, Hanno presents us with once-separated characters now reunited and seemingly back on track: They joyously resume reminiscing, then flirting, then sexing, then arguing in a world that's immediately relatable in its simple complexity. The flirtatious, banter-driven dialogue is tack-sharp, and the chemistry between the lead male and female roles sells the film's core relationship. Spot-on cinematography and well-chosen support music (which veers toward upbeat jazz) drive scenes in which two people who busted up long ago remain irrevocably drawn to each other.

Yet Elephants ultimately thrives because it ends where it does for most of us: in that blindly hopeful space between longing for a reanimated relationship to succeed, and that crushing moment in which we're again reminded that previously incurred damage to the dynamic just can't be cleaned up, and will indeed lead to yet another implosion. Kudos to Hanno for crafting an ending which avoids the tired platitudes mainstream cinema too often builds into its offerings in their attempts to create constant sunshine.

Independent film is enjoyable because it can tell stories the big studios wouldn't. Elephants is one of those stories, flawed characters who owe their shortcomings to the accumulation of small mistakes, rather than flashy dramatic traumas.

Effective performances help elevate the characters, and the story moves along at a good pace. Definitely recommend!