Elephant Song (2014)

If you haven't watched the trailer yet, don't. The trailer gives too much away and robs the viewer of the sense of constant discovery, and there is a trove of things to discover.This is a story of an unloved soul looking for a way out of the somber world of his own feelings and thoughts, while carrying the burden of a beautiful mind. Being a theater piece at its inception, the movie ravishes with its dialogues and beautiful scenes. The lack of color is abundantly compensated by the vivid close-ups, the overall suspense and poignant flashbacks.Michael (the mental patient being the centerpiece of the story) is lovable from the first seconds as a character and as an actor playing the character. Xavier Dolan has a way of wooing people, so it's very hard not to fall in love with his performance and his character by the end of the movie. He's brisk, accurate, hits the target with every line, and when he opens up in the end, the beauty of it is so tremendous it pierces your heart like a golden needle. The performances of the other actors are no less impressive, but Dolan is an inevitable scene-stealer.Tragedy here is more of a liberation of sorts. The witty and at times funny story takes a sharp turn into the abyss of emotional pain. All the elements fall into place perfectly, creating a feeling that you've just watched a short.Elephant Song is a masterpiece worthy of watching and rewatching, listening and relistening. It will leave no string untouched.

Xavier Dolan carries this movie start to finish. And the ending is what this story is all about! Dolan as Michael Aleen is brilliant in creating this character that is so compelling and deceitful he fools Dr. Green and nurse Petersen and the viewer into thinking he has the information they are seeking on Dr. Lawrence. What Dr. Green and nurse Petersen and the viewer do not realize is that Michael has one goal on this Christmas eve and thanks to an oversight by Dr. Green, Michael achieves his goal. And that is when we learn why he is in this mental hospital because his presents there is never really clearly defined throughout this story.What a film! Xavier Dolan deserves more credit for his acting and directing. He is an overlooked talent that hopefully will be a big name in the movie world. But unfortunately real talent seldom makes a splash in Hollywood.

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.

Well, this was an interesting movie experience for me because I wasn't expecting anything . . . and ended up being impressed enough during viewing that I wanted it to be better than it was.The acting was very good. Bruce was on display in his usual state of effortless excellence, he may be one of the most under-rated actors around (loved him in Flight). Carrie-Anne and Catherine were believable in their supporting roles and added depth to the movie. Xavier is going to get all the attention but he came across as presentational during the first scenes, too much of a jerk during the early parts of the movie (which is easy to play). In my humble opinion, he could have dialed that back and been a bit more subtle in an Anthony Hopkins/Dr. Lecter kind of way and been much more creepy. Xavier did show some great acting chops toward the end of the movie when he became vulnerable (which is tough to play) and began to open up after dropping the "Mr. Sarcasm" persona.I thought the ending was beautifully done and the music was perfect, good writing and directing makes this movie well worth a view. 5/10