Slon (Polish) [Elephant]

Elephant is the English translation for the Polish word “slon”. It’s a curious name for a film about a gay character living near the mountains in Southern Poland. There is no elephant per se in the film, except for a small figurine that serves as a symbol of the love that develops between the lead and another guy, who returns to the small community after 15 years when his father dies.

22-year-old Bartek runs a small horse farm in the mountains in Southern Poland. He dutifully looks after his possessive, depressive, ungrateful mother, who has been in a constant state of breakdown ever since his father left them when he was much younger. His sister has run away to Norway with her boyfriend. One day their middle-aged neighbor dies, and his son Dawid comes to the village for the funeral, who had left home 15 years ago. He is now a musician. Bartek becomes fascinated by Dawid and his recklessness. At first the two do not get along but slowly a friendship develops and before you law the two fall in love. But living as a gay man in a small town is not easy and soon love will force him to decide if he's ready to choose his freedom over family obligations. He loves his horses, and his countryside, if not his mother and sister, and certainly not his homophobic neighbours. He’s a very nice man, too nice to take the selfish easy way out. He gets bashed and hassled by homophobic neighbor boys, but luckily when his sister comes back home after being dumped by boyfriend, he finally takes the courage to stand up for himself.

This story could have been set in any rural land and would have resonated the same. A string young man like Bartek loves his work and farm but his ailing mother drags him down everyday and because he’s such a nice man, he can hardly bear to leave her to her own devices. She warns him not to spend his time with Dawid. He’s like her husband, a quitter and a leaver, whose leaving prompted her breakdown. We are not really told why the father left, but I guess that is not important. Its only the nice old neighbor lady who shows some compassion to Bartek on his relationship with Dawid and is, in fact, the one who call shim the elephant. He tells him to go for his love and fight for it. The story and film move at its own pace, where you can imagine an idyllic farm setting, a slow life and some mix characters. But the director's hold on story and its complex characters is good. I would have personally liked to see more of a story built between David and Bartek. Dawid's initial snub of Bartek to them getting too close feels a little sudden, but then given its a small village, things like this tend to move fast. The beautiful landscapes are gorgeous and the two attractive leads are a sight for the sore eyes. This film, like a few others set in similar situations, emphasize the difficulty of living as a gay man, and finding love, in a male dominant rural society. In that sense, the ideas within Elephant are easily relatable and yet another reminder that gay life outside of major cities can be an unwelcome struggle. The film is made with emotion, passion, realism and sensitivity without trying to sensationalize any aspect. Some people may have an issue with the slow pace of the film, especially in the beginning, but keep with it and you will eventually feel for its protagonists. (7/10)