Sadly Over-hyped

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

............................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FL ****There Is a Phrase In This Review That Might Be Considered a SPOILER!*****Deciding to watch a film like ELEPHANT KING is always a gamble. Ellen Burstyn was the only easily recognizable name. DVD artwork Layout and IMDb synopsis looked interesting; shot mostly in Thailand by an international crew. I took a chance! Lucky me! This is one gamble that paid off nicely-In The End-BOTH literally and figuratively! Here's a direct quote from IMDb: "...won Best Picture/Best Score at Sacramento International Film Festival. Jonno Roberts was Nominated for Best Actor." It's a rather sad commentary on the realities of film marketing/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 half of the Blurb is erroneous. The author either didn't: A) Actually see ELEPHANT, or B) Missed the opening minutes, orC) Didn't pay the slightest attention to the opening.Perhaps the TITLE may conjure up grandiose expectations of regal splendor and sumptuous royalty. 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 before the film ends. Incidentally, the ensemble performance was 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 nuanced very late-bloomer coming-of-age transformation and self-discovery of the younger brother central character; as he finally manages to free himself from the gravitational pull of his slacker older brother; 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/DISFRUTELA!Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome! KissEnglishPasto@Yahoo.com

Definitely not a movie for children with that detailed sex scene. Children below the age of 13 should not see the movie. I suggest the movie is not worth he money. The film contains a sex scene, a nightclub scene and some profanity. Excellent acting by Ellen Burstyn, Tate Ellington and Florence Faivre. I wonder how it got 6 awards. The cinematography by Diego Quemada-Diez is good but Seth Grossman's direction has wrecked the film. I suggest do NOT waste your money on the film. And again. This movie is rated R rightly and is not for children. A better one is 'Kiss the Sky'. It too contains strong sexual content and is not suitable for children. But it has a better direction than this movie.

I saw this film on the festival circuit and was blown away, particularly when I heard it was this director's first feature. This film is simply stunning. The direction and cinematography are exceptional. The story and location showcase the excitement--and potential underbelly--of living abroad in an exotic locale, and the convincing portrayal of the brothers' relationship is moving. I can understand how it won so many awards at festivals. This is one of those movies that I hope doesn't languish in the festival circuit and then peter out. This is a beautifully crafted film from a young filmmaker and cast, and deserves major backing and distribution. I'm eager to see it again and bring my friends who now have heard all about it.

I saw the second showing of The Elephant King at the 5th Annual Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, April 29th, 2006 and was thoroughly entranced by this cinematic masterpiece. Unfortunately I was not able to make it for the premiere of the film on Wednesday, April 26th, but I think that this showing was equally or possibly more enjoyable, due to the fact that it was shown in a larger theater with a larger, brighter screen and a better sound system (I have been told). The 400 seat theater was filled to capacity, with people still filing in half an hour after the film had started.The film itself is beautifully shot, with lush, gorgeous scenes of both rural and urban Thailand. As the Tribeca Film Festival website states, "This pensive, artfully crafted drama explores the twisted symbiosis between two American brothers-one domineering and nihilistic, the other guileless and introspective-as they binge on drink, drugs, and women in exotic Thailand." The two brothers' relationship spirals out of control to a dramatic conclusion.The cinematography is not the only area of excellence in this movie. The acting, directing and screen writing were also top-notch. Jonno Roberts as the domineering older brother Jake transforms from lovable to despised almost effortlessly during the course of the film. And the transformation of Tate Ellington as the younger brother Oliver from a depressed man-child to a fully developed and confident man develops quite naturally.Seth Grossman is an amazing screenwriter who really shows his chops in this movie, his debut film. Loosely based on a novel he wrote while living in Thailand teaching English, the inspiration for this movie was fully developed prior to the beginning of the screen writing process. This may have made the writing process develop quicker, but it does not take anything away from the freshness of the final product.There are many opportunities to laugh during the first act of the film, which helps to quickly drawing the viewer in to the more dramatic second and third acts. It was easy to identify with the characters, who grow to feel like family by the end of the film. I recommend this film to anyone who has ever traveled to a faraway land or just dreams of such travels.