IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

jotix100 Oliver Hunt is a young New Yorker who is a secret writer, still living at home. When we first meet him, he is working as a dishwasher in a restaurant. He has a brother, Jake, who has been living in Thailand. Jake has left New York under the pretext of studying Thai culture, but he is really a piece of work, whoring around, indulging in drugs, Thai boxing; he is living a life of excesses. His worrying parents relent in letting their son Oliver travel to Thailand in order to bring his debouched brother back home where he is supposed to face the music.Alas, poor Oliver is charmed by the sights around Chiang Mai, where Jake introduces him to the bar scene. Jake is a nasty sort who hasn't exactly endeared himself to the locals. They see in him a detestable person who has overstayed his welcome among the easy going locals. Oliver falls hard for the beautiful Lek, a bar hostess that introduces the naive man into pleasures he hasn't known. Lek, who is loved by a local musician, who will come between her and Jake, a situation that will be fatal in the end."The Elephant King", written and directed by Seth Grossman, was a rare find. It examines the lives of the brothers in an unfamiliar locale. Mr. Grossman presents a credible story about the siblings that are so different, yet so much alike. By taking the action to Thailand, he introduces another layer of cultural differences that plays well in what he is trying to say.Tate Ellington appears as the shy Oliver in an understated performance. The more flamboyant Jonno Roberts' Jake shows a young man who has gone beyond his capabilities and has stepped in too many toes. Mr. Roberts is also an asset. The lovely Florence Faivre is the object of both brothers desires. Ellen Burstyn is seen briefly in her usual fine style as the Hunt brothers' mother. Josef Sommer doesn't have much to do.Mr. Grossman promises to be a director with talent and who, no doubt, will be around for quite a while, judging by what he was able to create in this film.

Brian Duffy I saw it last night and was pleasantly surprised. My girlfriend was less than pleased in how it portrayed her home country, however. Apparently, she had seen an interview with Florence Faivre before the movie, in which Florence explained that Thailand is shown in a completely positive light. She went on to say that this is the 'real' Thailand and everyone should come to see the movie to experience how beautiful Thailand is. My girlfriend, while she didn't hate the movie in and of itself, found these comments to be particularly offensive. I must explain that she's a fairly inexperienced girl, who has been exposed only tangentially to the seedier aspects of Thai life (the reason why I care for her so much, perhaps). Her rose-colored glasses couldn't cope with the stark realism the movie portrays.And it IS realistic. Many westerners come to Thailand to run away from various responsibilities and the movie shows just how easy it is to fall into that world. Indeed, one walk down beach road in Pattaya will show you just how 'zombie-like' foreigners can become here. Of the two brothers in the film, Jake is a wonderfully constructed character. You're definitely not supposed to like him, and Jonno Roberts pulls that off well. Ellen Burstyn is good as the doting old mother, and Tate Ellington plays a passable depressed New Yorker.For the negatives, Seth Grossman (director) seems to spend about 25% of the film showing us montage scenes of 'life in Thailand'. This mainly seems to focus on tuk-tuk rides and open-air markets. While I understand that the vast majority of audiences won't be familiar with the setting as intimately as us expats are, for a 92 minute film you need to keep the 'atmosphere' shots to a bit of a minimum. Florence Faivre mails in a cardboard performance in badly accented 'Tinglish'. While she's obviously a looker, the voice-acting just didn't do it for me. While the film was often touted as being the vehicle for Diego Quemada-Diez's cinematographic genius, I didn't find it to be too revolutionary (or anything Darren Aronofsky hasn't done better). The most negative thing of all, however, is that they cut MY scene down to about one second! Two days of shooting (and drinking) and I'm on screen for an inaudible 'thank you' when Flo hands me a Singha. Tough business, show business! All in all, I recommend this movie as one to generate a bit of discussion between Thais and foreigners. As some mentioned before, no one really comes out as 'the good guy' here, and that's a pretty realistic depiction of the human condition.

marty416 I saw this film at tribeca. I enjoyed it immensely. Especially the visuals which felt quite free and transported. I traveled with this film in a sense because it took me to a magical place.This is a well crafted drama searching through a twisted connection between two American brothers-one an ogre, the other a quiet, retiring type-as they go on a bender through Thailand devouring women in exotic Thailand. Writer-director Seth Grossman's compelling film is topped off by memorable performances from veteran actors Ellen Burstyn and Josef Sommer as the brothers' parents. I think this is a film that deserves a place as a special film with art house value.

Maria Mangiameli I saw this film at the Tribeca Film Festival on its opening night and I was quite impressed. The cinematography was amazing, the soundtrack was awesome, not only the music used but the sound editing choices. But the thing that impressed me the most was the acting. Acting can make or break a film before anything else. Ellen Burstyn delivered a breathtaking performance (as she always does). Newcomer Tate Ellington was absolutely amazing, more than capable of holding his own in scenes where he had to perform head to head with Burstyn (as his mother), he left a memorable impression that makes me want to see him in a lot more films in the future. Jonno Roberts was also quite good, full of energy and emotion.