I just watched 'An Elephant Sitting Still' and all I've got to say is 'mesmerizing'. Such a rhythmic flow to each and every scene, not only visually stunning but the dialog and sound track were amazing, and that combination effortlessly flowed scene to scene. The sound track at times seemed like it was just pulled right out of the background noise of the scenery and then mixed into a rhythm and fed back into the beat of the movie and flipping vice-versa.....just brilliant. 'An Elephant Sitting Still' is a true masterpiece of creative genius, reminding me a lot of Bela Tarr films. Very long takes, endlessly long, and with endless dialog at times, that almost seems improvised, and just as endless emptiness at times, head spinning. Qian's camera follows the characters around closely, circling them, moving between them and flowing like water around them, almost like another character, and at times I swore it had dialog as if to be another character itself...lol. The camera work was some of the best ever. Whoever drove that steadi-cam earned their pay for sure. For a long 4 hr movie that really didn't have a plot, it never lost my attention or made me fast forward. This was more of a theme type movie, a day in the life, with lots of characters to follow as they intermingle and meander through what seem to be deeply agonizing lives in search of something better or simply left content in their misery. All of the actors were spot on and it seemed like real life was being filmed and put up on the screen. This movie goes right on the same list as 'Satantango', 'Werckmeister Harmonies', 'Capernaum', 'The Tiger: An Old Hunter's Tale', and 'The World of Kanako'. Very sad the director took his own life after making this film.
Review of An Elephant Sitting Still
