- Director
- Katrine Philp
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 88 minutes
- Release Date
- n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
For those who didn’t already know, this year’s SXSW was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. We at KLM are still here to do our part to help cover films slated to appear at this year’s festival. To keep up with our latest post-SXSW coverage, click here.
An Elephant In The Room is a documentary that follows a support group called Good Grief, that helps young kids navigate their emotions after losing loved ones. The kids were unique in that many of them have experienced more trauma then a lot of us have at the age of thirty. Those looking for a nice and breezy thing watch need look elsewhere while those looking for emotional catharsis, this is certainly worth watching out for. This documentary plays best when viewed as a hour and a half therapy session. While the majority of the film deals with children coming to grip with their emotions, it is soon discovered that we are all just grown up children trying to navigate through the world. Everything these kids are told about loss and confronting one’s own ugly emotions is applicable to anyone of any age. The way it deals with growth is very resonant and can surely be something that could help audiences’ confront their own losses.
An Elephant In The Room focuses its attention on a subset of kids where some are more willing to talk about their trauma then others. What was fascinating was how they reacted to the questions they were given as well as the film’s exploration on how they acted while reconciling their emotional state. It’s unclear which kids are harder to watch, those who were more open or those who refused to talk. A lot of the footage is very uncomfortable at times and may not sit well with some therefore the film would be better served if they cut before any big outburst. The cinematographer deserve some praise for simply having the nerve to keep filming.
Children should always be able to talk to their parents about any struggles they may be experiencing. The film’s message was that kids shouldn’t be afraid to talk about deep, introspective and ugly repressed feelings they have and the film is effective in showing that. We shouldn’t push kids to talk when they genuinely want to put things behind them or they aren’t ready to talk yet. The film does an admirable job with trying to help kids handle their emotions but hopefully they don’t force kids to confront their inner demons before they are ready.
An Elephant In The Room is simply one of the best documentaries in recent memory. Its emotional impact is universal and it was bittersweet watching, knowing these kids will be okay and loved but never have those loved ones they needed in their life. It shows how any of us can heal after immense loss. It’s cathartic filmmaking at it’s finest and a wonderful showcase of how the psyche of a child can react to immeasurable loss. It’s a staggering film that hasn’t left my mind since watching it.
still courtesy of SXSW
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