When Elephants Were Young (2016)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

As Good As It Gets

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

This movie is about one specific elephant. The life of this elephant included street begging on the one hand; but on the other hand elephants in Buddhist Thailand have a sacred position within the Thai society. The elephant, such as the one in the movie, are considered to be the form of life the first Buddha (Sidhartha)had when through a dream was implanted into the womb of the mother. The role of the elephant is almost like the role of a sacred human being. The street elephant is a religious icon in the Thai Buddhist culture. At the same time the owner of the street elephant needs to make a living from this elephant. In a sense the elephant is like an art form, a heritage piece and a holy entity and a dirty rat at the same time - with no use in Modern day society and big city politics, globalization and capitalism. Lucky for this specific Asian type elephant, that through the filming of his life, the Royalty of Thailand inserted the elephant into a wild life sanctuary because otherwise the Thai family supporting the elephant and the elephant himself would have died in despair and utter poverty.

"When Elephants Were Young" is a brilliant, insightful, and sensitive new film from the Canadian film-making duo Patricia Sims and Michael Clark, whose previous documentary "Return to the Forest" (http://worldelephantday.org/about/return-to-the-forest), chronicled the successful and ongoing mission of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand in returning captive elephants to the wild. This new film, "When Elephants Were Young," details the life of Bangkok elephant Nong Mai and Nong Mai's young male mahout (caretaker and trainer), Wok. Nong Mai and Wok attempt to forge a living by illegally begging on the streets of Bangkok, facing indifference if not outright hostility at every turn. This is a demeaning development from a culture that once elevated the sacred elephant/human relationship that has existed since time immemorial. Narrated by William Shatner, the film is chock full of fascinating information about this age-old symbiotic dynamic. It articulates the integral role the intelligent and highly sentient Asian elephant has played in the successful development of the Thai economy and how intertwined the symbolism of the elephant is with the Buddhist culture that prevails in Thailand today. Nong Mai is like family to Wok, and we watch with heavy heart as together they try to retain some shred of dignity in the face of extreme hardship in their collective struggle to survive on the street. The film details how and why the fate of the Asian elephant has become so perilous, including how the tourism industry in Thailand has largely contributed to the elephants' deprivation and abuse. It discusses the decline in numbers of the Asian elephant population in Thailand (where there used to be 100,000 to 200,000 about 100 years ago there are now only roughly 4,000) and pinpoints the causative factor: a shrinkage of their range due to manifold forms of human encroachment. The story of Nong Mai and Wok has a happy through bittersweet conclusion while the film itself is a heart-rending clarion call to everyone concerned with the future of the planet and its wildlife, to stand up and take action to help these precious imperiled Asian elephants, of which only approximately 45,000 remain alive today.

I was deeply impressed by the artistic approach of 'When Elephants Were Young' as it flashes no strong message but has an underlying tone of honesty and transparency that allows one to come to their own conclusion on the socio-economic importance of elephant businesses, in contrast to the goals of release. The stunning images provide a unique insight into Thai street life and urban-rural family challenges. The viewer is taken into landscapes and social contexts that are rarely seen, certainly by the tourist but also are less of a focus point for film makers. The build-up of the story surrounding one family in particular and their elephant is touching and one can easily imagine how many other families are experiencing the same conflict and choices across Thailand and beyond. This film is for anyone who wants to take a dive deeper to get to know individuals and real working stories. Highly recommended for the nature doc lover to those loving a good story.

When Elephants Were Young is an absolutely stunning film that captures the complex relationship between elephants and humans in Thailand. It takes you through an emotional journey of how we're connected to these magnificent creatures through the true story of Wok and his elephant Nong Mai as they walk the streets of Bangkok street begging. As we follow their story, the issues facing the survival of Asian elephants as a whole are addressed revealing the serious need for conservation. If you want to learn more about the plight of elephants in Thailand through the power of a true story, I can not recommend this movie enough. Anyone that watches it will feel a burning need to help the elephant conservation movement in any way possible.