AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL

AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL (DA XİANG Xİ Dİ ER ZUO), 2018
China | DCP, Color, 234' | Chinese
Director:Hu Bo
Cast:Yu Zhang, Yuchang Peng, Uvin Wang

An Elephant Sitting Still is the first and only film by director Hu Bo, who was also known as a writer. The director committed suicide after finishing the film, which won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Best First Feature Award at the Berlinale. The film tells the epic story of a day in the life of different characters; a boy who is abused by his father, a girl who can’t get along with her mother, and an elderly man whose family wants to place him in a nursing home. They all live in a small town in Northern China where economic depression can be felt in every aspect of life. Each one is trying to escape the troubles, pain and affliction in their lives. They meet on their way to see the elephant that is rumored to spend all day simply sitting still, completely oblivious to the world.