Synopsis
The titular pachyderm of An Elephant Sitting Still is a zoo animal that supposedly rejects its own existence by entering a catatonic state. The film’s four protagonists, living in a northern Chinese city suffering from post-industrial decay, are connected by their fixation on this creature. The intersecting lives in question belong to: a man who witnesses his best friend’s suicide, a young man seeking escape from abuse both at home and at school, a girl having an affair with her married vice principal, and a pensioner resigned to entering a nursing home. Punctuated by moments of black humour throughout its four-hour runtime, the film presents an honest snapshot of the lives of those forgotten by a nation’s uneven development.