The Weight of Elephants (2013) User Reviews

Solid seven

[selena-71096 · 7/10 · 26 November 2015]

I really enjoyed watching this movie. The acting was superb and it always surprises me how talented children in foreign (non-USA) movies are, even the very little ones. I understand that we all have different perception of this movie but to call it "nothingness" and/or "boring" or "slow" just doesn't seem fair. This is not a mainstream film and won't find its audience among those who love Hollywood crap movies . This art-house movie is beautifully made and acted. The pace of it just right, it captured my attention from the start to the end. The heartbreaking story of a lonely and vulnerable boy abandoned by mother and leaving in fear of abandonment deeply touched me.

A boy living with his grandmother and his sick uncle must struggle to carry the weight of being abandoned and poorly treated by those around him.

[criticalmads · 8/10 · 15 June 2013]

Gentle on the Eyes, Hard on the Tear ducts.

The Weight of Elephants is lovingly shot and fantastically acted. Nearly all the child actors play well and the boy playing Adrian gives a remarkable performance for a kid.

It is by no means a feel-good movie. It puts the main character, an engaging ten year old boy who deserves much better, through a really, really hard time. It's heartbreaking to watch, and you quickly sense that there is no promise of a Disney-like happy ending.

So I really feel I should warn anyone thinking "Hey! A kids film!" or "I need to be cheered up by a heartwarming coming of age film".

Beautifully shot film of nothingness

[davey79 · 4/10 · 19 August 2014]

My wife and I enjoy good dramas that are close to reality, often resulting with films in which not much happens. However, this film took nothingness to a whole new level.

I don't like to be overtly critical of independent movies, but this particular one left us feeling a little annoyed and extremely bored. Admittedly, it was beautifully shot and the acting was subtle and convincing, but the narrative was immensely dull. The pacing was also excruciatingly slow, but we persevered, believing something would happen to take it up a notch. Wrong. Film ends. Credits roll. Evening wasted.

I am sure some people might enjoy this, or should I say "appreciate" this movie, but I personally don't think it should have extended beyond a short film. Sorry.

Subtle, thought provoking and simple story

[mohitnarang · 8/10 · 16 June 2013]

I will try to break up the rating of this movie in 2 parts :

Script : It is one of those kind of movies where the script is too simple and subtle, but very thought provoking. At some times it was way too slow and that is where it seemed losing some points from my rating viewpoint.

Cinematography and acting : It was superb. It is definitely something that depends on taste, but i would highly recommend the screen lovers just because of the cinematography.

If you love movies which are touching and revolve around very subtle emotions go for this movie.

Good stuff...

[Red_Identity · 4 December 2014]

Definitely a somewhat sentimental film just because of the subject matter and what actually happens in it, but definitely not made in a way that seems too forced or unrealistic. The child performances are extraordinarily good, so much so that it's really quite unbelievable that they were able to give these because of good direction. The aesthetic is also quite nice, and in many ways this did remind me of Let the Right One in. This is the kind of film that many might take to in incredible ways, and some others just will not. I liked it enough, not very original but still a rather sensitive, careful approach to the type of story. I hope it gets a release date or something like that,

A man once said fiction is life with all the boring bits cut out, this movie didn't get that.

[zenithspider · 4/10 · 3 June 2015]

I get it was trying to show this feeling of isolation or childhood, but this didn't do it. It's just a movie showing an ordinary boring life of your average kid, but entertainment isn't about the ordinary or the average. It's meant to have drama, romance, action, suspense, it's meant to be an escape from the boredom of life. It got to 4 because of the few emotional moments that did hit home with me. Also even tho most of the actors were kids it was really good acting, usually with kids there's a high chance of the acting being deadpan but her everyone did well. There were just to many boring and mundane moments for me to give it a higher score. And as my mother pointed out it has a very NZ feeling about it.

Final Verdict: It's a VERY subtle drama about the problems of being a child in New Zealand. With some strong emotional scenes and good acting but there were too many unnecessary scenes to make it more interesting.

A film about disappointment, loneliness and the confusion of childhood

[atc-tech · 9/10 · 13 December 2014]

Very odd and disconcerting, but I think that is the point. This film covers disappointment of adulthood and what might have been, the loneliness that some children endure and the struggle that children go through to understand the world around them.

This is a realistic representation of poorer New Zealand and the difficulties for single parent families, particularly those touched by mental illness.

I keep thinking about the questions unanswered by the end of the film, so this has made it the most memorable film I have seen this year. If you like challenging drama without much feel-good, and don't need much in the way of action then this film is for you.

Gut wrenchingly real. Love conquers all.

[patrick_kiwi · 10/10 · 23 December 2017]

I never write reviews but I enjoyed this film so much I simply had to. This film subtly depicts, in a very "real" way, topics like deprivation in small town New Zealand, the terrible affliction of mental illness, and ugly personally archetypes that we all encounter in our lives. Ultimately though, I think the film is about the triumph of friendship, love, and good-will over adversity. Events are viewed through the eyes of a sensitive young boy who's farther is incapable of taking care of him, and who's grandmother is struggling to care for them both. There's an almost imperceptible ominous overtone as the adults in the background can sometimes be heard discussing the sinister disappearance of a young girl. Watch the film if you want more. Almost the entire movie is child acting, and the acting is unbelievably good. This movie deserves to be watched.