Elephant Song

This is a solid, really well acted film that requires you to pay attention if you are to find out the whole story. I find myself looking up what others wrote about it, the day after I saw it, and it is really to the film's credit that I am still thinking about it the following day. I have read reviews (not all of them here) that have erroneous information in them, particularly the reviews that are not all that great. It doesn't spell everything out for you, so if you're texting or making popcorn while you're watching it, you are going to miss something. I really liked it, but I found it sad and mournful, and wanting there to be a happy ending for the characters in the end. I recommend it if you don't need constant action to hold your attention.

Painfully beautiful .a simple story well told and impeccably acted .

Elephant song is definitely a psychological thriller. It's really just about telling a story. It's not surprising that this movie didn't make any money. It's not a very appealing story. Some weirdo mental patient that likes to mess with his 'doctors'.

Trinity looks way different with hair.....

+1 Star For 2/3 of the way through, no major complaints, and the story is keeping me interested.....

+1 Star For the Climax of The Story and the Payoff of where it headed.

The ending was just about Perfect. A well told story with few flaws.

7/10

The movie is interesting. The story keeps you guessing and the 'mystery' of missing doctor is good since the crazy man / boy is giving out the details, so you can never be sure whether it is true or not, or is he playing game.

I think that Xavier Dolan was really good at the role of mentally deranged Michael. The role suits him really good. Don't know why, but in some scenes I pictured him in some movies/series based on Marcel Proust's book. He would be perfect for one of the roles of Proust.

I did not really like the ending. It was ...hmmm ... too ordinary. And you see in the end that there was no mystery at all about the disappearance of the doctor. Also, the final scenes were kinda ...weak. But, all in all, quite good, except the last 3,4 minutes.

Eight from me.

''Elephant Song'' is a rather unusual drama. Despite a rather predictable story, an unnecessarily twisted plot development and a few vapid side stories going nowhere with at best average actors and actresses, this movie is still recommendable and one of the better genre flicks of the past years.

This is due to two precise elements. First of all, the movie has a numbing, nostalgic and deject atmosphere that serves as intriguing guide line. The soundtrack, the settings and the most important characters all add to this. This movie has a soul and a universe that is perhaps a little bit antiquated but still emotionally intriguing.

The second and most important reason why this movie works so well is the outstanding acting performance by Xavier Dolan. He plays a fascinating character who tries to be so unpredictable that it becomes predictable, who pretends to be crazy and evil even though he knows that he is very sane and kind at heart and who ends up trying to be rational and honest even though he still is irrationally emotional and cleverly dishonest for one very precise reason. This character and this actor make an otherwise at best average or even slightly below average flick an above average psycho drama. Even though Xavier Dolan is essentially known as a young and promising French-Canadian director, I hope he will focus on his acting career as well since this is where he really shines.

If you are looking for an atmospheric and slow-paced psycho drama with a fascinating main character, this is one of the best films of its kind of the decade. If you are looking for a clever plot and a diversified film, you will though end up being disappointed. With a better script and a more skilled director, Xavier Dolan could be a realistic candidate for an Academy Award for Best Actor in the near future.