The Weight of Elephants (2013) Reviews

• A boy living with his grandmother and his sick uncle must struggle to carry the weight of being abandoned and poorly treated by those around him.

  criticalmads2013-06-15

  Gentle on the Eyes, Hard on the Tear ducts. The Weight of Elephants is lovingly shot and fantastically acted. Nearly all the child actors play well and the boy playing Adrian gives a remarkable performance for a kid. It is by no means a feel-good movie. It puts the main character, an engaging ten year old boy who deserves much better, through a really, really hard time. It's heartbreaking to watch, and you quickly sense that there is no promise of a Disney-like happy ending. So I really feel I should warn anyone thinking "Hey! A kids film!" or "I need to be cheered up by a heartwarming coming of age film".

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• Subtle, thought provoking and simple story

  mohitnarang2013-06-16

  I will try to break up the rating of this movie in 2 parts : Script : It is one of those kind of movies where the script is too simple and subtle, but very thought provoking. At some times it was way too slow and that is where it seemed losing some points from my rating viewpoint. Cinematography and acting : It was superb. It is definitely something that depends on taste, but i would highly recommend the screen lovers just because of the cinematography. If you love movies which are touching and revolve around very subtle emotions go for this movie.

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• Solid seven

  selena-710962015-11-26

  I really enjoyed watching this movie. The acting was superb and it always surprises me how talented children in foreign (non-USA) movies are, even the very little ones. I understand that we all have different perception of this movie but to call it "nothingness" and/or "boring" or "slow" just doesn't seem fair. This is not a mainstream film and won't find its audience among those who love Hollywood crap movies . This art-house movie is beautifully made and acted. The pace of it just right, it captured my attention from the start to the end. The heartbreaking story of a lonely and vulnerable boy abandoned by mother and leaving in fear of abandonment deeply touched me.

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• Beautifully shot film of nothingness

  davey792014-08-19

  My wife and I enjoy good dramas that are close to reality, often resulting with films in which not much happens. However, this film took nothingness to a whole new level. I don't like to be overtly critical of independent movies, but this particular one left us feeling a little annoyed and extremely bored. Admittedly, it was beautifully shot and the acting was subtle and convincing, but the narrative was immensely dull. The pacing was also excruciatingly slow, but we persevered, believing something would happen to take it up a notch. Wrong. Film ends. Credits roll. Evening wasted. I am sure some people might enjoy this, or should I say "appreciate" this movie, but I personally don't think it should have extended beyond a short film. Sorry.

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• A film about disappointment, loneliness and the confusion of childhood

  atc-tech2014-12-13

  Very odd and disconcerting, but I think that is the point. This film covers disappointment of adulthood and what might have been, the loneliness that some children endure and the struggle that children go through to understand the world around them. This is a realistic representation of poorer New Zealand and the difficulties for single parent families, particularly those touched by mental illness. I keep thinking about the questions unanswered by the end of the film, so this has made it the most memorable film I have seen this year. If you like challenging drama without much feel-good, and don't need much in the way of action then this film is for you.

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