An Elephant Sitting Still (Da xiang xi di er zuo) (2019)
86%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 21 wins & 44 nominations
A remarkable debut that sadly serves as its creator’s epitaph, An Elephant Sitting Still offers an uncompromisingly grim yet poignant portrait of life in modern China
An Elephant Sitting Still is like a marathon, but instead of running, you’re sitting and watching a four-hour movie. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re up for the challenge, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful and emotional journey. The film is a testament to Hu Bo’s talent and vision, and it’s a shame that he’s no longer with us to create more masterpieces. Plus, who doesn’t love a metaphorical circus elephant as a wise Buddha?
Production Company(ies)
The Weinstein Company, UK Film Council Momentum Pictures,
Distributor
KimStim
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:3h 50m
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Language(s):Mandarin
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Country of origin:China
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 8, 2019 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2019
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
An Elephant Sitting Still, Drama, Chinese, 3h 50m, Hu Bo, Yu Zhang, Yuchang Peng, Uvin Wang, Congxi Li, directed by Hu Bo, written by Hu Bo, box office gross $22.0K, KimStim, reviewed by Ben Sachs, Amy Nicholson, Justin Chang, Jonathan Romney, David Ehrlich, Justine Smith, Taylor Baker, Dustin Chang, Luke Gorham, Tim Brayton, Mattie Lucas, movie, film, cinema, tragedy, modern China, school bully, teenager, sociopolitical critique, human portraiture, beauty, invention, grace, surreal, emotional, psychological, melancholia, tonal rigor, elegance, frame precision, ingenuity, debut feature, directorial debut, poignant, uncompromisingly grim, box office performance, budget, producer, MPAA rating, drama genre
Worldwide gross: $39,599
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $45,755
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,086
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,990
US/Canada gross: $32,556
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $37,617
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,772
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,854
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,541
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,659
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Yuchang Peng – self
Uvin Wang – self
Congxi Li – self
Hu Bo – Director
Director(s)
Hu Bo
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Berlin, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
21 wins & 44 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (2)
The most audacious debut feature from mainland China since Wang Bing’s nine-hour documentary West of the Tracks (2002).
March 10, 2020
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
I wanted to connect with it, but I am the monster who could not get into the four-hour tragic movie.
September 24, 2019
Amy Nicholson
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
[Hu] has given us a triumph of bold sociopolitical critique and intimate human portraiture, and a reminder that you rarely encounter the one without the other.
March 21, 2019
Justin Chang
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
One thing that you shouldn’t expect from An Elephant Sitting Still is some artless, ragged cry of rage: despite its bleakness and its visual and tonal austerity, this is a film of extraordinary beauty, invention, and grace.
March 21, 2019
Jonathan Romney
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This is not the feel-good film of the year. And yet, the story builds towards a climactic trip to see the mythical elephant in Manzhouli, and old Wang Jin is eager to go along for the ride.
March 8, 2019 | Rating: A-
David Ehrlich
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
While circumstances are claustrophobic and stifling, Bo’s movie seems to balance that with strange and surreal impulses of the heart.
March 8, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Justine Smith
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
Episode 44: Ash Is Purest White / Long Day’s Journey into Night / An Elephant Sitting Still
October 4, 2021 | Rating: 84/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
The idea of using an immobile circus elephant (never seen) as a wised out Buddha who silently observes human follies play out around him as some sort of metaphor for happiness/salvation has a direct lineage link to Werkmeister Harmonies.
February 13, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
While the film toes the line of miserabilism, Hu’s commitment to intimacy makes it feel more like an emotional and psychological audit than a cudgel
July 30, 2020
Luke Gorham
In Review Online
If you do not, at least once across the running time, think to yourself, “why is it so LONG?”, the film is not doing its job properly.
January 30, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending
It’s as if the film was conjured from thin air, gorgeous, elemental, and tortured; Hu’s consciousness made manifest and brought into being by sheer force of will.
December 10, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Despite its melancholia and tonal rigor, An Elephant Sitting Still exudes so much elegance, frame precision and ingenuity. Hu Bo’s first and last feature is destined to have a place in cinema.
November 21, 2019
Andrew Stover
Film Inquiry…
Plot
An Elephant Sitting Still follows the interconnected stories of four individuals in modern China, all struggling with their own personal demons and societal pressures, as they embark on a journey to see a mythical elephant that represents hope and freedom.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film An Elephant Sitting Still on Fresh Kernels.
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