Elefante

it could be a warning. or a realistic portrait of many lives. or reflection in mirror. because the theme is the relation with the others. and with yourself. "Elefante" reminds "The Metamorphose" by Franz Kafka. with the same roots, with not different consequences. but it is more than version of the classic text. the motif - maybe the dark, bitter realism, the lost of poetry defining an imagery, the deep reference to the near every day reality . and this is an obvious virtue in this case.

an ordinary man. and its metamorphose. not very different by Kafka text but little more fascinating. not only for consequences or for make-up, for consequences and for social frame, but for precise portrait of many other lives. far to be a touching story, it could be a mirror. a film about shadows and about the relationships. about hate and about solution against it. few images, a splendid final scene. a movie with the role of cry. dark, cold, cruel, direct. almost too realistic because it remembers the existences of many from its viewers. one of beautiful short movies. for the stain who remains. for the traces after its final. maybe, for the invitation to discover in different manner the other, yourself and the elephants.

Manuel works a boring job, plays squash with his friend Sergio (both of which he dislikes) and at home has a distant wife, distant teenage daughter and a son too young to really know him as a father. When he is diagnosed with something, his life begins to change as he himself turns into an elephant – and not like the movie The Elephant Man, but like the movie Babar King of the Elephants.

This is an odd short film because it has a very simple central idea which makes for a simple but well told story and ends with a satisfying and surprisingly moving conclusion. The meaning behind the specifics is not so important as the way the device is used in the story telling – we are engaged by Manuel early on, then we transition into the transformation which we are engaged by and then we conclude in a simple but effective manner. The idea itself is good and it works well with it making it into something more than it could have been. The message is simple and the makeup (comparatively) crude, but it works and I was nicely touched by it; I doubt I will remember it for years nor would it stand up to closer scrutiny but for a short film based on a good idea, this works and is well done.

This was, interesting. I like the whacky concept, it's unique and darkly-comedic but it's nothing more than that. I thought it was going to end up as some kind of metaphor but it didn't. The message of the short was just spelled out onfront of my eyes devoid of subtlety.

The secondary characters are cartoonish and the story is rushed. But it's nine minutes, it's really well don't for the time and budget they had.

I also enjoyed the purposefully cheesball soundtrack.