Elephant Song
Starring Xavier Dolan, Bruce Greenwood
Directed by Charles Binamé
A psychological cat-and-mouse game plays out effectively in Charles Binamé’s adaptation of Nicolas Billon’s complex play, Elephant Song.
Twenty-five-year-old Canadian director Xavier Dolan, the prodigy behind the acclaimed Mommy, steps in front of the camera to play troubled mental patient Michael, who is mysteriously confined to a scandal-plagued hospital in 1966.
After a resident psychiatrist goes missing, Dr. Toby Green (Greenwood) is called in to interrogate Michael over his knowledge of the doctor’s whereabouts. Binamé wisely opts to shoot most of the film inside a single office where Michael and Dr. Green engage in an intricate series of mind games, each bent on breaking the other’s will to uncover underlying truths surrounding both characters.
Some well-paced flashbacks fill in the narrative gaps as Elephant Song’s puzzle becomes increasingly intriguing. Billon’s screen adaptation of his own work manages to hit all the right beats, but it’s Greenwood and Dolan who are the real stars here, often mesmerizing during their complicated interplay.
Some notably strong work from Catherine Keener, playing a sympathetic nurse, Carrie-Anne Moss and scene-stealer Colm Feore also help bolster the movie’s credibility.
Unfortunately, the film’s final reveal is never quite as compelling as the riveting build-up and the plot lags in several sections, adding several notes of brief tedium.
Overall, Elephant Song is a refreshing throwback to character-driven stories of the past and works as a methodical examination of the human psyche, vibrantly brought to life by strong performances, even though the conclusion may prove ultimately unsatisfying.
