Last of the Elephant Men tells the story of the Bunong people of Cambodia, who see elephants in a different light than most other people. Arnaud Bouquet and Daniel Ferguson directed the film that focuses on a community that believes elephants were once fellow humans, until they ate magical fish, which transformed them into their current forms. In keeping with this belief, elephants are treated, and respected, as equals
The ninety-minute film brings the audience deep into the lives of the Bunong tribes, which allows the viewer to become immersed in a culture that is vastly different than their own. At the centre of this culture’s identity is the villager’s bond with the elephants — an emotional relationship that has been passed down through generations.
The film situates itself around the lives of three people: a young man learning to take care of his family’s elephant, a middle-aged woman searching for her lost elephant while petitioning against Cambodia’s ongoing deforestation, and an older man by the name of Mrey, to whom this film is dedicated. In experiencing these characters, we are able to understand the role that elephants play in the villager’s everyday lives, all while experiencing forests being razed to make room for rubber companies.
The unobtrusive way in which the directors choose to tell this remarkable story serves to further engross the audience in the events of the film. It is made up of scenes of the every day — meals, chores, school — and the dialogue is entirely in Khmer, accompanied by English subtitles. As the audience watches these lives unfold, on a day-to-day basis, they are asked to consider the beliefs and practices that stand in such stark contrast to those held by most of western society.
Last of The Elephant Men will transport you to another world — one in which humans and elephants walk side-by-side.
