Mammoth (2009)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 January 2009 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

While on a trip to Thailand, a successful American businessman tries to radically change his life. Back in New York, his wife and daughter find their relationship with their live-in Filipino maid changing around them. At the same time, in the Philippines, the maid's family struggles to deal with her absence.

Plot Keywords:

Thailand | Filipino Maid | Philippines | Businessman | Motherhood

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Maria Esmeralda del Carmen	...	Grandmother
Perry Dizon	...	Uncle Fernando
Gael García Bernal	...	Leo Vidales
Rudina Hatipi	...	Linda - Air hostess
Thomas McCarthy	...	Bob
Marife Necesito	...	Gloria
Jan David G. Nicdao	...	Salvador
Sophie Nyweide	...	Jackie Vidales
Martin Delos Santos	...	Manuel
Natthamonkarn Srinikornchot	...	Cookie (as Run Srinikornchot)
Michelle Williams	...	Allison Gould

Also Known As:

Mammut (Denmark) (Sweden)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

Sweden | Denmark | Germany

Language:

English | Tagalog | Thai

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Koh Lanta, Krabi Province, Thailand

Company:

Memfis Film

Soundtrack:

The Greatest

Poetic commentary on globalisation and the family

This Moodyson movie was heavily advertised here in Sweden in January 2009, after "A hole in my heart" and "Container", which went by largely unnoticed. Moodyson appears to have returned to the mainstream with "Mammoth", as underlined by the inclusion of world-renowned actors like García Bernal.

By taking up the fates of a wealthy American family and their Filipino nanny, Moodyson skillfully weaves a story around the changing role of the family in the face of globalisation. The Filipino maid's children are lonely and waiting for their mother to return home. When the rich American businessman needs to travel to Thailand on business, the strains in the stressful relation between him and his surgeon wife become apparent. They both realise that they are not living the lives they were dreaming of, instead being steered by the need to work harder and earn more money. And the take-home message for all characters appears to be: Put your family first, for the sake of the children.

The film's strongest points are: The visual presentation of life-styles in the three main locations (consumerism US city, touristy Thailand, underdeveloped Philippines), the soundtrack, and the portrayal of each character's struggle between "doing the right thing" and "doing what feels right".

In my opinion, the film could have been improved. For example, although there is a certain depth to the portrayal of each character, we never really get to know them fully. It is difficult for the viewer to understand why the characters are so stuck in their everyday lives, for example why the surgeon does not simply follow to church when her daughter wants to go, no reason is given to prevent her from doing so.

Also, the film plays with images that are difficult to understand. The title, Mammoth, refers to a pen whose inlays are made of mammoth ivory. I think the pen is meant as a symbol of the insane power of money, but the film would have worked just as well without this pen.

Overall, I recommend watching this film for the insights it gives on the relation between globalisation, consumerism and interpersonal relations. But it is not as upbeat as Moodyson's earlier movies (Fucking Åmål - Show me love, Tillsammans - Together, and Lilja-4-ever), it is more a mirror in your face without the optimism that brought Moodyson to fame.