The Elephant King

The Elephant King is a must see!
Coming in under the radar in today's film industry is nothing new, but The Elephant King came in low and is going to strike hard. Wonderful performances from a talented cast only scratches the surface. The imagery and cinematography coupled with the honest story telling make for a must see film. If there's going to be a stand out performance, Jonno Roberts as the conflicted Jake, delivers a powerhouse emotional roller coaster of ride that should not be missed. Ellen Burstyn is at her amazing best and the beautiful Florence Faivre is both stunning and troubled and can not help but hold the viewer's heart in the palm of her hand. Tate Ellington's Oliver meshes the whole story together seamlessly. Writer-Director Seth Grossman has much to be proud of. Even the use of Thailand as the back drop presents as stunning, haunting and frightening all at the same time. Do not miss this movie.

The decadence of Thailand in a solid indie
The character of Thailand is represented well here and not just in the hedonistic way. The countryside and Buddha lifestyle get spliced into the film in such a way that nothing is too overplayed.

The story follows a reclusive American brother traveling to Thailand in hopes of recovering his wayward expat brother from a self-induced immersion into the Thai lifestyle. In short order we see the underexposed-to-life brother finding love, pleasure and indigenous beauty that both captivates him and wakes his soul. Some nice performances from all of these unknowns, with the usual solid showings from Burstyn and Sommer. The outcomes are believable and the infamous Thai pleasures are covered in a tasteful way.

The DVD is of decent quality with both 2.0 and 5.1 options, but the subtitles are a little frustrating. Anytime someone speaks Thai they did not translate so there are entire conversations where body language and scene placement are the only cues as to what they are...

mislead by other reviews
When I watch a movie set in Thailand, I like to see some of the beautiful country. That was largely absent, most of the action taking place in the big city. It's a movie about a nerd that visits his jerk brother, who is abusing his relationships with his family, his university employer, and everyone else that comes near him. Using favorable exchange rates, he is able to let his self-centered tendencies blossom.
His brother visits, either to try to get the jerk to come home, or maybe just to cure his own blues.
I hoped to see a cinematic movie with a good story. This is a story of a jerk and the awakening of his depressed brother. The awakening is well-done, in that he wakes up to both good and bad elements of life.
As the other review said, the acting is good. If that's the kind of story you like, you might try this one. If you want to see something more pleasant, and more visually beautiful, then look elsewhere.

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