Elephants

Wonderful indie rom-com with some great original songs!

This is a very moving and involving film showing the true pain and pleasure of a really authentic relationship. I really enjoyed how closely observed all the moments were in this drama. It was very touching and it made me reflect on my own past relationship highs and lows. Recommended.

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.

Independent film is enjoyable because it can tell stories the big studios wouldn't. Elephants is one of those stories, flawed characters who owe their shortcomings to the accumulation of small mistakes, rather than flashy dramatic traumas.

Effective performances help elevate the characters, and the story moves along at a good pace. Definitely recommend!

Incredible work by Alex Hanno. We are brought into the lives a couple facing the challenges of love and addiction. Fighting the memories of the past and trying to prove they can change. This movie will leave you feeling connected to the characters and the difficult choices in a relationship.

A film truly worth viewing!