Elephants

This is a movie I've recommended to quite a few people as an example of what a true indie darling could and should be. The purpose of movies, and storytelling, should be to entertain and evoke emotion... this does so in spades.

You go from loving to hating characters quickly, but you understand them entirely. They feel real, thoughtful and lived in. They aren't infallible. They make well intentioned mistakes. They feel like real people... and most tellingly, for me, they felt like me... like someone who is not perfect and knows it.

No spoilers here but the turns and reversals land well amidst the continual upbeat tone. It's a healthy mix of good surprises and downfalls. I want more movies like this!

A fantastic example of a collaboration of people making a dream a reality. Very raw and professional for first time film makers. This story is relatable on many levels and draws out a variety of emotion as it unfolds. A must watch!

With the indie gem Elephants, Alex Hanno deftly delivers the kind of tonally-changing relationship interplay we pine for - and unfortunately don't often get - in a big studio romantic dramedy.

To draw us in, Hanno presents us with once-separated characters now reunited and seemingly back on track: They joyously resume reminiscing, then flirting, then sexing, then arguing in a world that's immediately relatable in its simple complexity. The flirtatious, banter-driven dialogue is tack-sharp, and the chemistry between the lead male and female roles sells the film's core relationship. Spot-on cinematography and well-chosen support music (which veers toward upbeat jazz) drive scenes in which two people who busted up long ago remain irrevocably drawn to each other.

Yet Elephants ultimately thrives because it ends where it does for most of us: in that blindly hopeful space between longing for a reanimated relationship to succeed, and that crushing moment in which we're again reminded that previously incurred damage to the dynamic just can't be cleaned up, and will indeed lead to yet another implosion. Kudos to Hanno for crafting an ending which avoids the tired platitudes mainstream cinema too often builds into its offerings in their attempts to create constant sunshine.

Wonderful indie rom-com with some great original songs!

When you think of romance or relationships depicted in film, invariably cliches pop to mind. Boy meets girl, Jennifer Aniston-cuteness, inevitable bliss. To quote the film Annie Hall, "If only life were like this."

Elephants is about love, but it eschews such simplistic cliches and instead gives us a look at a relationship that feels authentic and lived in. There's such a wonderfully complicated mix of emotions between the characters in this film. That's the norm in life, but not in the movies... where we often go to avoid life's pain rather than confront it. But Elephants doesn't shirk from that complex reality but embraces it. Which makes not just for good entertainment, but makes this film art. Something one rarely finds in film.

There's joy here, laughter. But also genuine sadness. And there's real craftsmanship to the filmmaking. Beautifully shot, well acted, with great music. Writer-Director Alex Hanno is a sure hand behind the camera. With work like Elephants, we have a real artist to watch in the years ahead.

Bravo to Elephants!