By all appearances, Jake Hunt leads a carefree, American expatriate life in Thailand, but despite the seemingly bottomless well of women, booze and drugs he drinks from, Jake is not a happy guy. The arrival of his nerdy, seriously depressed younger brother Oliver, dispatched by the anxious mother who wants him home to face up to his debts and problems, sets in motion the plot of the film festival favorite The Elephant King (out now on DVD).
The Bangkok setting forms a colorful, appealing backdrop to this story of family dysfunction and personal redemption. Although one can’t describe either of the main characters as richly drawn, the scenario is just quirky enough to come across as a plausible slice of life. Neither brother is a paragon, but Oliver is the relative innocent wracked with emotional problems, and Jake is the arrogant con man with a twinge of conscience. Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn plays the boys’ similarly nuanced mother, overbearing (and burdened by the problems Jake left behind) yet compassionate and sympathetic.
