The Elephant King

a story like a ladder. or labyrinth. about searches, fake victories and a place of Asia. sad, beautiful, salt for emotions and impressions. at first sigh, a basic story about a family. at the second, stage of need of sense. run against yourself. and balls of illusions, temptations, forms of hate, love and expectations. the axis - delicate performance of Ellen Burstyn. sure, it is not a surprise but the joy to admire her in a special role is seed of pure delight. her character is so fragile and wise, so strong and powerless. but she remains the character who can make things be OK. and this is secret of movie. the subtle taste of childhood and the unique patience of a mother. the small crumbs of fairy tale and the silhouette of peace in heart of dizzy storm. a film - key of questions.

I saw this film at the Tribeca Film Festival on its opening night and I was quite impressed. The cinematography was amazing, the soundtrack was awesome, not only the music used but the sound editing choices. But the thing that impressed me the most was the acting. Acting can make or break a film before anything else. Ellen Burstyn delivered a breathtaking performance (as she always does). Newcomer Tate Ellington was absolutely amazing, more than capable of holding his own in scenes where he had to perform head to head with Burstyn (as his mother), he left a memorable impression that makes me want to see him in a lot more films in the future. Jonno Roberts was also quite good, full of energy and emotion.

Coming in under the radar in today's film industry is nothing new, but The Elephant King came in low and is going to strike hard. Wonderful performances from a talented cast only scratches the surface. The imagery and cinematography coupled with the honest story telling make for a must see film. If there's going to be a stand out performance, Jonno Roberts as the conflicted Jake, delivers a powerhouse emotional roller coaster of a ride that should not be missed. Ellen Burstyn is at her amazing best and the beautiful Florence Faivre is both stunning and troubled and can not help but hold the viewer's heart in the palm of her hand. Tate Ellington's Oliver meshes the whole story together seamlessly. Writer-Director Seth Grossman has much to be proud of. Even the use of Thailand as the back drop presents as stunning, haunting and frightening all at the same time. Do not miss this movie.

I had the pleasure of screening Seth Grossman's film The Elephant King at the 2006 TRIBECA Film Festival. I was highly impressed by the film. Grossman's evocative narrative follows the relationship of two brothers as they overcome alienation, begin to understand one another and struggle with conflicted desires. The film is beautifully shot on location in Thailand and the setting, exotic to the film's main characters, adds to the themes of self-exploration and alienation. The acting, shot choices and writing are all indicative of Grossman's genuine talent as a Writer/Director. The strength of this film, Grossman's first feature length narrative, promises great things to come from this fresh and energetic new filmmaker. I look forward to seeing more of Grossman's work.

Deciding to Watch a film like ELEPHANT KING is always a gamble. Ellen Burstyn was the only easily recognizable name. The DVD artwork Layout and synopsis looked interesting; shot mostly in Thailand by an international crew. So I took a chance! Lucky me! This is one gamble that paid off nicely...In the End! And I mean that BOTH literally and figuratively! Here's a direct quote from IMDb: "Jonno Roberts was Nominated for Best Actor at the Sacramento International Film Festival for 'Elephant King'. It won Best Picture and Best Score." Isn't it a rather sad commentary on the realities of film marketing and distribution that an unpretentious little wonder like this, made in 2006, only received LIMITED 2008 theater release, and took another year to be released on DVD?

The first 1/2 of the Blurb I read is erroneous. The author of that Review either didn't actually see it, or didn't pay the slightest attention to its opening minutes. Perhaps the TITLE may conjure up rather grandiose expectations of regal splendor and sumptuous royalty. However, there is certainly none of that here! There is a baby elephant, which besides offering detached moments of poignancy, also serves a pivotal symbolic and metaphoric purpose.... At least it does before the film ends.

The ensemble performances were remarkable. Seth Grossman (Butterfly effect 3) must be complimented on his understated, evenhanded direction, which, when coupled with the outstanding acting; spot on depiction of the vapid, high-energy emptiness of Thailand's nightlife and its minions; the highly believable very late-bloomer coming-of-age transformation and self-discovery of the younger brother central character; Plus the low-key ever-so-slightly surreal Buddhist/Zen spin that is imparted via a bittersweet finale that manages to neatly "THAI" together most of ELEPHANT's loose ends, make it a solid 9********* experience! ............ Before viewing ELEPHANT, I recommend you contemplate this THAI proverb: Patience and Forbearance are always rewarded with Happiness! ..... ENJOY!