Movie

An Elephant Sitting Still

2018 · 235 min

A gruelling, immersive plunge into despair, unfolding at a glacial pace with relentless emotional weight and little relief.

Overview: In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world. Manzhouli becomes an obsession for the protagonists of this film, a longed-for escape from the downward spiral in which they find themselves.
How it feels: Bleak, melancholic, tense and cynical. Slow-burning and demanding.
About: Isolation, grief, family, violence
Content: Strong violence and language. Mild gore and sexual content.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Full breakdown

Tone: bleakstrength 3 of 3
melancholicstrength 3 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 2 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: isolation
grief
family
violence
survival
Places: big city
small town
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: ensemble
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language strong
Violence strong
Sex mild