''Elephant Song'' is a 2014
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
drama film directed by
Charles Binamé
Charles Binamé (born May 25, 1949) is a Quebec director. He was born in Belgium and came to Montreal with his family at a young age. He joined the National Film Board of Canada as an assistant director in 1971, but soon left for the private sect ...
and adapted from the
same titled stage play by
Nicolas Billon
Nicolas Billon (born March 22, 1978) is a Canadian writer. He is best known for his plays ''The Elephant Song'', ''Iceland'', and ''Butcher''.
Biography
Nicolas Billon was born in Ottawa, Ontario and grew up in Montreal, Quebec. He is the son ...
.
["Toronto Film Review: ‘Elephant Song’"]
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', September 15, 2014.["TIFF 2014 to screen Xavier Dolan and Denys Arcand films"]
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
, August 6, 2014. The film premiered at the
2014 Toronto International Film Festival
The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 39th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held in Canada from 4–14 September 2014. David Dobkin's film '' The Judge'', starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duv ...
.
Plot
Dr. Toby Greene is a psychiatrist at an asylum. Greene is gradually drawn into a psychological mind game by patient Michael, whom he is interviewing about the disappearance of Greene's colleague, Dr. James Lawrence. Michael, a disturbed young man, the son of an opera singer and a distant father he has only seen once, has an aura of charm about him and displays signs of rationality and intelligence that draws the doctor deeper into his stories, despite warnings by head nurse Susan Peterson to keep a distance from the patient. Susan is also his ex-wife. Their marriage did not stand the strain of the drowning death of their daughter Rachel three years ago.
Greene is somewhat distracted by issues in his own life, as tensions with Olivia (his sister or wife — this is unclear) are made worse when she appears at the hospital unannounced with young Amy. Earlier Greene told Amy her Auntie Olivia makes the best pancakes but also tells Michael that Amy is his own niece. Amy appears to have Down’s syndrome. (It is unclear who Amy’s parents are.)
Michael draws Greene into his plot by convincing him not to read his files, but rather form his own opinion based on what Michael has to offer in explanations. Michael continues revealing his troubled experiences with his parents. The elephant connection is from his sole meeting with his father in a nature reserve, when the father kills an elephant in front of his son. The incident traumatized the very young Michael, as did his mother's cold attitude and her distancing herself from him for her singing career. Michael claimed he "killed his mother" by refusing to call an ambulance for her when she ingested an overdose of pills, instead singing to her the "elephant song" until she died on the floor.
Michael discusses the circumstances of his forced stay in the hospital, hinting at an improper doctor-patient relationship involving him and Lawrence, and a bizarre love-hate relationship with Peterson. Michael is aware that Nurse Peterson and Dr. Greene were married and the circumstances of losing their daughter Rachel and makes it known that he knows.
Michael's ploys also include an attempt to negotiate his early release from hospital in return for divulging the circumstances of Dr. Lawrence's disappearance. Michael eventually convinces Greene to exchange a box of chocolates for a note Michael has concealed, which will reveal what has happened to Lawrence. The note states that Lawrence has simply gone to be with his sick sister. While Greene phones Lawrence and confirms the situation, Peterson enters the room and notices the chocolates, nervously screaming that Michael knows he is strongly allergic to the nuts in the chocolates. She and Greene quickly administer an adrenaline shot and attempt resuscitation, but Michael dies. Greene asks for forgiveness from Peterson.
When Dr. Lawrence returns, he confirms that he loved Michael, but not in the manner that Michael had implied. Lawrence has scandals of misappropriation against him. Greene resigns and Peterson is suspended for a period. The film ends with Greene and Peterson meeting and sitting together in a park, holding hands.
Cast
Release and reception
''Elephant Song'' had its premiere at the
39th Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2014.
Critical response
''Elephant Song'' has a score of 60% on review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 3.3/5.
Accolades
* Best Adapted Screenplay,
Canadian Screen Award
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...
(
Nicolas Billon
Nicolas Billon (born March 22, 1978) is a Canadian writer. He is best known for his plays ''The Elephant Song'', ''Iceland'', and ''Butcher''.
Biography
Nicolas Billon was born in Ottawa, Ontario and grew up in Montreal, Quebec. He is the son ...
), 2015
Bruce Greenwood
Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion ...
was also nominated for the award of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. In 2014, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film by the
Vancouver Film Critics Circle
The Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC) was founded in 2000 by David Spaner and Ian Caddell, in order to help promote Canadian films and the British Columbia Film and Television Industry. Its membership includes print, radio, on-line, and telev ...
.
Charles Binamé
Charles Binamé (born May 25, 1949) is a Quebec director. He was born in Belgium and came to Montreal with his family at a young age. He joined the National Film Board of Canada as an assistant director in 1971, but soon left for the private sect ...
was nominated for Best Canadian Feature Film at the
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October.
The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...
and for the Grand Prize at the
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF ( et, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival), is an annual film festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. PÖFF is the only festival in Northern Europe or the Baltic region with a FIA ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Charles Binamé
2014 films
2014 drama films
Canadian drama films
English-language Canadian films
Films directed by Charles Binamé
2010s English-language films
2010s Canadian films