Mammoth (2009)

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.

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson

Stars:

Gael García Bernal, Michelle Williams, Marife Necesito

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gael García Bernal	...	Leo Vidales
Michelle Williams	...	Ellen Vidales
Marife Necesito	...	Gloria
Sophie Nyweide	...	Jackie Vidales
Natthamonkarn Srinikornchot	...	Cookie (as Run Srinikornchot)
Tom McCarthy	...	Robert 'Bob' Sanders
Jan David G. Nicdao	...	Salvador (as Jan Nicdao)
Martin de los Santos	...	Manuel
Chiqui del Carmen	...	Grandmother (as Maria del Carmen)
Perry Dizon	...	Uncle Fernando
Joseph Mydell	...	Ben Jackson
Doña Croll	...	Alice
Caesar Kobb	...	Anthony
Matthew James Ryder	...	Bob Sanders' Collegue
Piromya Sootrak	...	Cookie's Daughter

Storyline

n New York, the immature family man Leo Vidales is a successful businessman, owner of the Underlandish, a successful website of digital games and married to Dr. Ellen Vidales, a dedicated surgeon of the emergency room of a hospital. They have a daughter, Jackie, who is an intelligent girl that is raised by her nanny, the Filipino Gloria that spends more time with her than Ellen. Gloria has two sons in Philippine that miss her. When Leo need to travel to Singapore with his partner Bob (Tom McCarthy) to sign a millionaire contract with investors, Ellen operates on a boy stabbed in the stomach by his own mother and she feels connected to the boy and rethinks her relationship with Jackie. Meanwhile Leo is bored waiting for the negotiation of Bob with the investors and he decides to travel to Bangkok and lodges in a rustic cottage on the seashore. Leo meets the young prostitute and mother Cookie and he has one night stand with her. Meanwhile, Gloria's ten year-old boy Salvador misses her ...

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Plot Keywords:

interracial relationship | philippines | prostitute | thailand | filipino maid | 

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Taglines:

What keeps you together when you're worlds apart?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Sweden Denmark Germany

Language:

English Tagalog Thai

Release Date:

23 January 2009 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Mamut

Filming Locations:

Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,531, 20 November 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$8,530, 29 November 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Memfis Film, Film i Väst, Pain Unlimited GmbH Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the making of this film, Michelle Williams was told that her husband, Heath Ledger, had just passed in his sleep.

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Connections

Referenced in Kommissarie Späck (2010)

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Soundtracks

Sogg
Written by Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir, Hildur Ársælsdóttir, María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir and Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir
Performed by Amiina
With permission from Ever Records, part of the IK7 Label Group, Speak N Spell Records and Copyright Control

User Reviews

Like a breath of fresh air

There was a big speculation of Moodysson being a total sell-out, doing a major picture in America, but that obviously wasn't the case. It isn't Moodysson quite like you've seen before, but definitely not in a bad way. He innovated his style into new directions, without compromising his vision.

Gael García Bernal has proved himself to be one of the greatest actors of this generation in Iñárritu's pictures, and Mammoth comes as no exception. In fact I feel a little Iñárrituish vibe in the movie; the whole theme is pretty similar with Babel.

Somebody commented earlier here, that Moodysson was just "teethless" with his society critic in Mammoth, but I really have to disagree. I wouldn't even use the word "critic" in Mammoth's case - I don't see Moodysson as a preacher, but as an objective lens, which allows us to see the world differently. It's art people, not politics; pointing fingers isn't the point.