Admirable film that doesn't hide its theatrical origins. That's fine if you love good acting but the dialogue is often unconvincing. (viewed 4/17)

If you haven't watched the trailer yet, don't. The trailer gives too much away and robs the viewer of the sense of constant discovery, and there is a trove of things to discover.This is a story of an unloved soul looking for a way out of the somber world of his own feelings and thoughts, while carrying the burden of a beautiful mind. Being a theater piece at its inception, the movie ravishes with its dialogues and beautiful scenes. The lack of color is abundantly compensated by the vivid close-ups, the overall suspense and poignant flashbacks.Michael (the mental patient being the centerpiece of the story) is lovable from the first seconds as a character and as an actor playing the character. Xavier Dolan has a way of wooing people, so it's very hard not to fall in love with his performance and his character by the end of the movie. He's brisk, accurate, hits the target with every line, and when he opens up in the end, the beauty of it is so tremendous it pierces your heart like a golden needle. The performances of the other actors are no less impressive, but Dolan is an inevitable scene-stealer.Tragedy here is more of a liberation of sorts. The witty and at times funny story takes a sharp turn into the abyss of emotional pain. All the elements fall into place perfectly, creating a feeling that you've just watched a short.Elephant Song is a masterpiece worthy of watching and rewatching, listening and relistening. It will leave no string untouched.

''Elephant Song'' is a rather unusual drama. Despite a rather predictable story, an unnecessarily twisted plot development and a few vapid side stories going nowhere with at best average actors and actresses, this movie is still recommendable and one of the better genre flicks of the past years. This is due to two precise elements. First of all, the movie has a numbing, nostalgic and deject atmosphere that serves as intriguing guide line. The soundtrack, the settings and the most important characters all add to this. This movie has a soul and a universe that is perhaps a little bit antiquated but still emotionally intriguing.The second and most important reason why this movie works so well is the outstanding acting performance by Xavier Dolan. He plays a fascinating character who tries to be so unpredictable that it becomes predictable, who pretends to be crazy and evil even though he knows that he is very sane and kind at heart and who ends up trying to be rational and honest even though he still is irrationally emotional and cleverly dishonest for one very precise reason. This character and this actor make an otherwise at best average or even slightly below average flick an above average psycho drama. Even though Xavier Dolan is essentially known as a young and promising French-Canadian director, I hope he will focus on his acting career as well since this is where he really shines.If you are looking for an atmospheric and slow-paced psycho drama with a fascinating main character, this is one of the best films of its kind of the decade. If you are looking for a clever plot and a diversified film, you will though end up being disappointed. With a better script and a more skilled director, Xavier Dolan could be a realistic candidate for an Academy Award for Best Actor in the near future.

Xavier Dolan carries this movie start to finish. And the ending is what this story is all about! Dolan as Michael Aleen is brilliant in creating this character that is so compelling and deceitful he fools Dr. Green and nurse Petersen and the viewer into thinking he has the information they are seeking on Dr. Lawrence. What Dr. Green and nurse Petersen and the viewer do not realize is that Michael has one goal on this Christmas eve and thanks to an oversight by Dr. Green, Michael achieves his goal. And that is when we learn why he is in this mental hospital because his presents there is never really clearly defined throughout this story.What a film! Xavier Dolan deserves more credit for his acting and directing. He is an overlooked talent that hopefully will be a big name in the movie world. But unfortunately real talent seldom makes a splash in Hollywood.