An Elephant Sitting Still

This is really something else. An Elephant Sitting Still is a completely hypnotic Chinese film with the potential of becoming a modern classic. It is also something of a tragic swan's song, as director Hu Bo committed suicide in October 2017, after having completed what would become his only feature film.

The film plays out over the course of one day, and follows a group of character in a small Chinese town. The picture it draws of draws of modern China is rather disillusioned, in a way that echoes the films of Jia Zhangke, one of the best and most interesting filmmakers in 21st century China. With its seemingly floating camera and many long takes, the film creates an atmosphere that also bears resemblance to the works of Hungarian master Bela Tarr. And like Tarr's films, An Elephant Sitting Still is a sort of existential fable. The title refers to a story told in the film, about an elephant in the Chinese city of Manzhouli that has sat itself down in what seems to be a silent protest, unnoticed by – or even indifferent to – what goes on around it.

Ambitious and unassuming, thought-provoking and sensitive, raw and subtle – An Elephant Sitting Still possesses all these qualities and more. With a running time of nearly four hours, and with its many long takes and dynamic pace, it makes for an almost overwhelming viewing experience. (Cinemateket)

Hu Bo (1988-2017) was a Chinese filmmakers and renowned novelist from Jinan in the Shangdong province. He studied at the Beijing Film Academy, and before finishing An Elephant Sitting Still he directed several short films. Hu ended his own life on October 12th 2017.