After completing An Elephant Sitting Still, his first and only film, director Hu Bo tragically committed suicide in October 2017 at the age of 29. In many ways, the movie could be viewed as an ominous cry for help, an accomplished piece of cinema that resonates louder than its seemingly modest premise.
It’s also an ambitious movie: clocking in at almost 4 hours, its long runtime has it weaving through four distinct stories over a single day.
A darling of the festival circuit, An Elephant Sitting Still premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, and will open in (very) limited release (read: its initial run includes under 25 theaters) on December 14, 2018 courtesy of New Wave Films.
Set in the northern Chinese province of Hebei, An Elephant Sitting Still brings together the stories of four protagonists’— a young man trying to escape being caught after injuring his bully, a gang leader reeling from the effects of an affair he has with a friend’s wife, a high school student whose relationship with his teacher has become public, and an old man being evicted out of his nursing home.
“Stop crying.” “But why?” “For no reason.”
“His brother might kill us.” “That’d be perfect.”
Favoring long Steadicam shots pivoting between characters within scenes, Hu Bo constructs an epic, affecting portrait of despair and hope. The characters are reflections of a society that grapples with poverty, and the consequences of actions that are outside of their control.
An Elephant Sitting Still is a technically competent, deeply moving slow burner of a feature, a swan song revealing a tapestry of dejection. And though the titular elephant does not make an appearance throughout the movie, one would be hard pressed to deny its looming presence over it.
The tragic case of Bo’s suicide will forever remain the lens through which this movie will be seen and understood. A movie of rare technical and emotive prowess, however, An Elephant Sitting Still will also forever stand on its own.
Still from An Elephant Sitting Still, directed by Hu Bo
An Elephant Sitting Still Release date: December 14, 2018 Director: Hu Bo Starring: Yu Zhang, Yuchang Peng, Uvin Wang
