An Elephant Sitting Still
classified 18 (CTBA) SPlease note: This was screened in Jan 2019
A shattering, soul-searching Chinese one-off, Hu Bo’s magnificent debut about people folding under the strain of economic pressure is an intimate and empathetic portrait of human suffering, featuring performances of astounding sensitivity.
Set during a single day it tells the stories of 16-year-old Weibu (Peng Yuchang) who is bullied at home and in school, his old neighbour Wang Jin (Liu Congxi) who has been evicted from his home by his estranged family, and his classmate Huang Ling (Wang Yuwen) who is having an affair with a school official and fears the release of a revealing video. They are escaping from their families, authorities, gangsters, and the bleak nature of reality, drawn on their way to the remote northern city of Manzhouli, where a mythical elephant is said to be sitting still, indifferent to the brutality of the world.
A landmark of new Chinese cinema, debut features seldom come as ambitious, or as accomplished as this. A magisterial, four hour opus by writer-director Hu Bo (who tragically took his own life at the age of just 29 soon after completing the film), its focus on the personal struggles of individuals left behind in China’s headlong pursuit of economic progress stands as a stunning memorial to its thoughtful and hugely promising young directorial talent, who’s talent burned all too briefly.