Do Elephants Pray?
Starring: Jonnie Hurn, Julie Dray, Marc Warren, Rosie Fellner
Director: Paul Hills
Rating:2/5
Paul Hills is back in the director's chair this week as he helms Do Elephants Pray? which is written and stars Jonnie Hurn.
Frustrated by the soulless routine world he is shackled to and dogged by a need to find meaning in everything, the life of advertising executive Callum Cutter is thrown into poetic chaos when he meets the free-spirited French seductress Malika who promises to change his life forever...providing he keeps her identity a secret.
There are some nice ideas in this film as writer Hurn tries to show that the busy lives that we all lead can take a toll .
Callum is a character who is trying to find the meaning to his life and he paints a portrait of mid-life misery.
Because we never really get under the skin of this central character it is difficult to not only connect with him but you feel little sympathy or compassion.
He only really goes on this adventure because of the promise of sex and this does little to endear him to the audience.
Julie Dray gives the best performance of the film as the free spirited Malika who turns Callum's life upside down.
She does bring an energy to the film as she tries to make Callum see beyond the dimensions of his dull life.
But sadly there is little chemistry between Dray and Hurn and this central relationship lacks spark and doesn't really work.
Hills beautifully contrasts the dullness of office life with the freeness and colour of the forest - and this is a real plus side to the film.
Hills most be praised for trying to make an unconventional romantic comedy but he doesn't quite pull it off.
The major reason that this unconventional film doesn't work is because it lacks humour - they have tried to make the comedy quite understated but it just gets lost among the characters and the story.
Sadly Do Elephants Pray? descends into a bit of a jumbled mess and the climax of the story is more than a little underwhelming.
Do Elephants Pray? is out now