An Elephant Sitting Still

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Aluna U @RT14704568 Sep 18, 2025 An Elephant Sitting Still is a deeply philosophical film by Hu Bo that explores profound despair through the interconnected lives of four troubled individuals seeking escape from their painful realities. Despite its nearly four-hour runtime and slow pacing, the film delivers a raw, emotional narrative with powerful performances and a haunting atmosphere, though the cinematography and ambiguous ending may leave some viewers unsatisfied. The tragic story behind its creation—Hu Bo’s suicide following creative conflicts—adds a heartbreaking layer to this already melancholic masterpiece. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) See more

Dani G @RT81139271 Jul 23, 2025 Depressive and somber... See more

g j @g.username Apr 19, 2025 A soul-searingly bleak glimpse into working class China that is refreshingly genuine enough to make a very credible attempt at justifying its 4 hr runtime. See more

isla s @RT89656869 Sep 1, 2022 This is very much a film about despair - about living in dark, mundane circumstances and you could say there's an element of 'keeping calm and carrying on', or whatever the Chinese equivalent of that motto is. Of course, the irony of the current situation with coronavirus (this review dates from March 2020) came to mind but this is different. I suppose you could argue there's an element of fate about it or inevitability but then people may complain that it's too simplistic to say that. I'll let the viewer come to their own conclusion - in any case, its certainly a thoughtful film, with quite good use of camerawork, to pan around the various characters, show how downtrodden their existence is and it's easy enough to imagine how disheartening it must be for them to be in that place, mentally, physically and emotionally I suppose. The vitriol some people show towards others did seem, on one hand, believable and also, for me it was obviously quite frustrating and saddening, for obvious reasons. It's in this sense that it is certainly a thought-provoking watch. Speaking of camerawork, I did feel there was quite a distinct sort of floaty feel or atmosphere to this film, with the viewer apparently observing the characters from multiple angles, while also glancing around at the surrounding area. Its a thought-provoking, sad (also just to note there is one scene featuring a dog being attacked and we are briefly shown a somewhat bloodied dog afterwards, which could be quite upsetting for some) but a memorable film that's well worth a watch, as long as you know it's not going to be very cheery and perhaps it's not the ideal thing to watch at the moment but otherwise, I would recommend this film, yes. See more

Jun 14, 2020 Dreadfully slow pace. Would be okay of at least something interesting was happening, but the plot is not that engaging. See more

Apr 22, 2020 A poetic and sorrowfull vission of the world, but real. One of the best strokes of film genius ever conceived. See more

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An Elephant Sitting Still

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