An Elephant Sitting Still

by anything and anyone no matter what happens" This metaphor is not happiness, but something less than that but better than depressed life. Life is not ideal, it can never be ideal, we walk this life by carrying baggage of regrets and sadness within us. This film shows how the people of modern china are affected by the outer oppression, pushing themselves into a spiral of depression and hopeless life. We follow these four characters, all 4 heard about this illusive elephant and are curious about it, because they want to be that elephant. A person who is not bothered by anyone bullying them, shaming them, telling them you can live a life without money. They want to live a life based on their own terms and not be affected by the outer oppression of society in every single thing. Hu Bo showcases these four people's mundane sad lives with an exhausting long takes and bleak & dark toned cinematography. The director makes us focus on only these four characters, the camera keeps following these characters when they are in frame, it doesn't cut to another character. The other characters are either out of frame or in background. It allows the audience to develop a deeper connection with the character and immersive experience. It's a very intimate and personal film. Its a search for an empty solution to fill the depressed and demoralized void. Its a universal portrayal of human despair and An overwhelming contemporary masterpiece of modern times.