Elephant Song (film)
| Elephant Song | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Charles Binamé |
| Produced by |
Richard Goudreau Manon Lavoie (assistant prod.) |
| Written by | Nicolas Billon |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Patrice Dubuc Gaëtan Gravel |
| Cinematography | Pierre Gill |
| Edited by | Dominique Fortin |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Elephant Song is a 2014 Canadian drama film directed by Charles Binamé and adapted from the same titled stage play by Nicolas Billon.[1][2] The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[2]
Plot
Toby Green (Bruce Greenwood), an independent psychiatrist who is gradually drawn into a psychological mind game by Michael (played by Xavier Dolan), whom he is interviewing about the disappearance of Green's colleague Dr. Lawrence (Colm Feore).[1] Michael, a disturbed young man, the son of an opera singer and a distant father he has only seen once, has an aura of charm about himself and displays signs of rationality and intelligence that draws the doctor deeper into the plot despite warnings by nurse Susan Peterson (Catherine Keener) to keep a distance from the patient.
Dr. Green is assigned to investigate Michael's involvement as Michael draws the doctor into his plot by convincing him not to read his files, but rather form his own opinion based on what Michael has to offer in explanations. Michael continues revealing his troubled experiences with parents. The elephant connection is from his sole meeting with his father in a nature reserve, when the father kills an elephant in front of his son. The incident traumatizes the very young Michael, as does his mother's cold attitude and her distancing herself from him for a singing career. Michael claimed he "killed his mother" by refusing to call an ambulance for her and instead sang to her the "elephant song" until she died on the floor.
Michael discusses the circumstances of his forced stay in the hospital, hinting at improper doctor-patient relationships involving him and his supervising doctor, and a bizarre love-hate relationship with the head nurse Susan Peterson. Michael's ploys also include an attempt to negotiate his early release from hospital in return to divulging the circumstances of Dr. Lawrence's disappearance. Dr. Lawrence surfaces alive after the note he left is delivered to Dr. Green, and Michael convinces the investigating doctor to hand him a box of chocolates as reward. Strongly allergic to the nuts in the chocolates, Michael dies in the hands of the doctor and the head nurse after eating several. Adrenaline shots and resuscitation attempts fail to save Michael's life.
Cast
- Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Toby Greene
- Xavier Dolan as Michael Aleen
- Catherine Keener as Nurse Susan Peterson
- Carrie-Anne Moss as Olivia
- Larry Day as Sergeant Taylor
- Gianna Corbisiero as Florence Da Costa
- Mark Donker as Jakobus Aleen
- Colm Feore as Dr. Lawrence
- Melody Godin-Cormier as Amy
- Matt Holland as Bruce
- Alison Louder as Nurse
- Guy Nadon as Dr. Craig Jones
- Cindy Sampson as Christelle
Awards and nominations
- Wins
- In 2015, Nicolas Billon won the Canadian Screen Award for "Best Adapted Screenplay"
- Nominations
- In 2014, Charles Binamé was nominated for "Best Canadian Feature Film" at the Vancouver International Film Festival
- In 2014, he was also nominated for the Grand Prize at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
- In 2014, Bruce Greenwood was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film" by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle
- During the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards, Bruce Greenwood was nominated for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role"
References
- 1 2 "Toronto Film Review: ‘Elephant Song’". Variety, September 15, 2014.
- 1 2 "TIFF 2014 to screen Xavier Dolan and Denys Arcand films". CBC News, August 6, 2014.