Elefante blanco

Pablo Trapero's film tells a tough tale set in the slums of South America; but for much of its length, with its focus on community organisation and the struggle of workers to get paid, it resembles less 'City of God' than a Ken Loach movie, and it's not necessarily the worse for that. What is lacks, however, which Loach's movies do not, is a sense of perspective beyond those of those who try to help the slum's inhabitants: we see the story through the eyes of two priests, and a social worker, but not of the slum dwellers themselves. Indeed, the film (which is very watchable) could have been longer: a female gangland boss seems a potentially interesting character, but she only gets one scene, while the question of who is screwing the workers (and whether allies of the Church might actually be involved) is raised by not answered. It's a nice small movie; but one that contains a bigger picture that is never fully shown.

Argentinean director Pablo Trapero brings to the screen a very dark seemingly hopeless disparity between the rich and the poor. Written by Trapero along with Alejandro Fadel, Martín Mauregui and Santiago Mitre, the story will burn on the viewer's mind the hypocrisy of disparity between the rich and the poor.

The film opens in the Peruvian jungle where Father Nicolás (Jérémie Renier) witnesses the brutal massacre of his friends and congregation while he alone survives, leaving a profound sense of guilt for not having also died in the catastrophe. Father Nicolás's beloved friend and confessor Father Julián (Ricardo Darín) brings Nicolás to the "Villa Virgin", a 'favela' like shantytown in the slums of Buenos Aires near an abandoned huge project for a hospital that was started decades ago in Buenos Aires, seen today as a typical "white elephant", a useless structure that now houses the poverty stricken inhabitants. Drugs provide the major business in this ghetto. Assault weapons and firearms can be found almost everywhere. Add all that to the precarious living conditions and this sort of hell on earth is not even fit for anyone to endure. The two priests work tirelessly to help the local people. Julián uses his political connections to oversee the construction of a hospital. Nicolás remains deeply troubled from his experience in the jungle, but he does find comfort in Luciana (Martina Gusman), a young, attractive, atheist social worker. As Nicolás' faith weakens, tension and violence between the slum drug dealing cartels grows. And when work on the hospital is halted by ministerial decree, the faith of the inhabitants of Villa Virgin is shattered, and Nicolás discovers he has been called by Julián to assume his role of parish priest as Julián is coping with an undiagnosed neurological disease. It is a test of wills, a test of faith, and a sense of being crushed by the politics of Argentina.

Because of the setting in the filthy and decrepit slum the visuals become confusing with the cinematography by Guillermo Nieto attempting to take in too much visual information to the point of confusing the story line. But the musical score by Michael Nyman is brilliant and enhances the film tremendously. The three major actors - Darin, Renier, and Gusman - are outstanding in very difficult roles. If the audience is left with a sense of the futility the people of the slums face daily, then the film has accomplished its mission. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Grady Harp

"White Elephant" is a Drama movie in which we watch a man trying to help the residents of a Buenos Aries shantytown by building a hospital. His life will change when he will meet a social worker.

I liked this movie because it had a simple but interesting plot that contained some unexpected plot twists that change it a lot. The interpretation of Ricardo Darín who played as Julián was very good and for one more time he did an excellent job. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Jérémie Renier's who played as Nicolás and Martina Gusman's who played as Luciana. The combination of these characters and their differences worked very well and fitted equally good with the concept of the movie. Finally, I have to say that "White Elephant" is an interesting drama movie and I recommend you to watch it.

So this was based on a man who ... well that would be a spoiler, but lets say someone who helped people in communities that did not get any help from the state - quite the opposite, they were oppressed. And as the director reveals even under a democratic elected goverment (something you probably can search and find on the internet too).

Those were "insights" I got mostly after watching the movie, but they will not hinder you or take anything away from the movie watching experience. So I knew this was a drama, I just didn't know what this was going to be about. Knowing the main actor (and if you've seen a couple of Argentinian movies you probably know or have seen him too) is one thing, which also means you know how good he is. But it's more the story that will tear you apart and the sacrifices some people do, to help others. It might feel a bit unfocused at times, but the grander perspective is there

Set in present day Buenos Aires, a middle-aged catholic priest (Ricardo Darin) who is working on a housing project in a real-life slum brings a french priest friend (Jérémie Renier) to work with him.

In my opinion, the movie's strength is not so much the plot but the realistic portrayal of the crude slum life-style, codes, culture and hardships.

My office is 4 blocks away from that slum, it is quite a contrast between a slick cosmopolitan, corporate world and a poverty-stricken area where violent crime thrives. I can tell you the director achieved great accuracy in the portrayal of the slum environment, without conveying a condescending feel, but a dignified one.

Worth a watch.