Elephant Song

I just didn't see the appeal. The editing is messed up bec Greenwood only says once that Amy is his niece. U really have to listen hard for the dialogue and I never like that when I can't easily see the family relationships. I enjoyed Susan Keeners performance. Ultimately a suicidal young mans chosen exit is the end result of the rejection by his parents. Simply too odd and I wouldn't watch again

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.

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

Admirable film that doesn't hide its theatrical origins. That's fine if you love good acting but the dialogue is often unconvincing. (viewed 4/17)

It's 1966. Psychiatrist Toby Green (Bruce Greenwood) talks to patient Michael Aleen (Xavier Dolan) who is supposed to have information on missing colleague Dr. Lawrence. Michael claims to be white elephant and keeps talking about elephants. He plays a cat-and-mouse game with Dr. Green and head nurse Susan Peterson (Catherine Keener). Green and Peterson used to be married until the lost of their daughter Rachel. Green faces a strained home life with Olivia (Carrie-Anne Moss) and autistic niece Amy. The head doctor interviews both Green and Peterson about Michael. Xavier Dolan does an interesting job and Greenwood is good. The story needs a bit more meat. Toby's home life needs a little more clarification especially with Olivia and Amy. The mystery with Lawrence gets defused too early. After the security guard and police claim to have seen Lawrence, the tension to find him almost disappears completely. The story needs to pace out and create more twists and reveals.

The viewer is drawn into the story spun by the young man. He mixes truths with false starts to play with the doctor. We realize he is an intelligent man controlled continually by a system that makes illness into blandness, a life full of dull routines. Xavier Dolan is an incredible actor who allows us a glimpse into his world and why he struggles to find himself with parents who don't want him. Finely able to tell someone his story, from his perspective who doesn't have preconceived ideas about him, is Dr.Greene. Dr. Greene not a great psychiatrist in the end begins to hear him. The ending is almost a cliche, I understand why the writer chose it but I think there are other avenues to pursue. Or maybe I'm an optimist. The scene with Dr. Greene and the young man's father at the end, solidified the world this young man was born into - a world of grossly narcissistic parents. My skin crawled listing to his father, "I am here because no one came to collect his belongings."

When a psychiatrist mysteriously disappears after a session with a mentally disturbed young man, a colleague is brought in to coax answers out of the youth, which leads to mind games, trickery and emotional manipulation in this Canadian thriller. The film starts off well with a great sense of mystery in terms of what happened to the psychiatrist and what the young man is like; he is built up like Hannibal Lector in 'The Silence of the Lambs': a character with whom one has to be careful when talking to. Xavier Dolan (yes, the director of 'I Killed My Mother' and 'Laurence Anyways'!) is superb as the mysterious youth, "just because I'm crazy doesn't mean I'm stupid", while Bruce Greenwood is also solid as the colleague. The film is let down though by a humdrum solution to the mystery and while there is a small emotional wallop as one realises why Dolan has been institutionalised at the end, the final act does not resonate half as much as the opening act. Greenwood's home life is left hazy too; his daughter possibly has Down Syndrome, and he is living with a woman who he calls 'aunt', but is she his sister? Nothing is clear, including why his home life is even included. At its best and most focused though, 'Elephant Song' is a riveting portrait of two very intelligent individuals trying to one-up each other in conversation and manipulation with real tension in the air.

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

This film is beautiful in a strangely devastating way. You begin by being thoroughly distrustful of Dolan's character, Michael, but he leads you on a journey of simple what ifs. It shows how little control and power over their own lives people really have. This films leaves a lasting impression. Utterly brilliant.

''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.