‘THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER’ IS A UNIQUE FILM
AN Indian documentary won the Oscar for the best documentary short film this year. “The Elephant Whisperer” is a beautiful tale about the coexistence between humans and animals.
It is set in a national park and follows the lives of a tribal couple entrusted with bringing an injured, rescued baby elephant back to life. This short film streaming on Netflix is full of unspoken emotions. A lifetime of struggles is reflected in the tribal couple’s bond with the baby elephant.
The film has a simple narration and is easy to grasp. The human-animal bond is captured brilliantly by the camera. Often, humans sacrifice the habitat of animals in the name of progress and this film without sounding preachy shines a spotlight on the travails of animals.
It is amazing to note that the couple dedicates themselves wholeheartedly to the process of care. With a joyous heart, they wake up the elephant, feed it, play football with it, and walk it through the forest.
The elephant brings them tremendous satisfaction and extends a purpose to their lives. Their interaction with the elephant almost feels as if the elephant is a human child and is responding to their calls on a human level.
The whole narrative of interchange has been portrayed from a humane angle and shows that the animals respond gracefully to the sustenance of their caregivers.
The focus at times moves to the personal toils of the tribal couple; they each have a story to tell. While they both struggle in life, they rise above their tribulations to raise an animal and provide for its survival with love.
Despite its short length, this film is filled with tremendous heart, forcing viewers to remember that all life is worthy of dignity and respect.
The fact that animals are forced to scour for food closer to human residences due to man-made disasters and consequential natural disasters is truly heartbreaking. This leads to chaotic imbalance and as a result, both animals and humans suffer - Animals more so because of their limited intelligence as compared to the human mind.
Human-induced global climatic changes have greatly impacted other forms of life. Through this film, this reality is unfolded layer by layer. The co-mingling of human and animal emotions lay bare the brutality but also imparts hope - hope that eventually, mankind has immeasurable compassion to extend and animals have the capacity to absorb and respond to that compassion.
“The Elephant Whisperer” is a treat to watch and is bound to enthrall viewers.
With a basic storyline and the deep, ingrained missives to humanity to wake up and salvage what remains of nature, this film has a peculiar magnificence.
There is a palpable sense of suffering expressed in the story of the tribal couple and the animals, which makes one cry due to their helplessness.
Moreover, the evident joy of the relationship between the couple and the baby elephants makes one rejoice at the components of love sprinkled liberally all over. The parallels drawn carry the film to a thought-provoking end.
Manjeet Singh of Leisure Byte, reviewing the film, praised it, writing, "The complete documentary appears more like an experience that needs to be felt, than rather just to be seen."
Singh opined that "The docufilm is capable of making you cry, or even sob" and it is "the finest presentation of the year."
The director and the producers deserve a bow for bringing a unique story for viewers to ponder and act upon. Environment conservation is indeed the need of the hour!