Full US Trailer for Hu Bo's Acclaimed Drama 'An Elephant Sitting Still'

"A long, sad, moving swan song." KimStim has debuted the full-length official US trailer for Hu Bo's highly acclaimed Chinese drama An Elephant Sitting Still, which is finally getting a theatrical release starting in March. This is Hu Bo's first & final film, as he tragically took his own life after finishing the film. This premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and a Best First Feature "Special Mention", and it has also played at numerous other festivals including New Directors/New Films in NYC, plus the Sydney and Edinburgh Film Festivals. The film actually runs nearly 4 hours in total, and tells a story spanning one full day in a small rural Chinese town, linking their interactions and following various characters throughout the area. The focus is on bullying and the way people affect each other and treat each other. Starring Yuchang Peng, Yu Zhang, Uvin Wang, and Congxi Li. This is a must see for cinephiles.

Here's the full official US trailer (+ French poster) for Hu Bo's An Elephant Sitting Still, from YouTube:

You can still watch the festival promo trailer for Hu Bo's An Elephant Sitting Still here, to see more footage.

In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world. Manzhouli becomes an obsession for the protagonists of this film, a longed-for escape from the downward spiral in which they find themselves. Among them is schoolboy Bu, on the run after pushing Shuai down the stairs, who was bullying him. Bu's classmate Ling has run away from her mother and fallen for the charms of her teacher. Shuai's older brother Cheng feels responsible for the suicide of a friend. And finally, along with many other characters whose fates are inextricably bound together, there's Mr. Wang, a sprightly pensioner whose son wants to send him to a home. In virtuoso visual compositions, the film tells the story of one single suspenseful day from dawn to dusk, when the train to Manzhouli is set to depart. An Elephant Sitting Still is both written and directed by Chinese filmmaker Hu Bo, his feature directorial debut after a few short films and novels. Hu Bo passed away in 2017, this is sadly his final film. This premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year, and played at many other fests. The film begins playing at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in NYC starting on March 8th. For more info visit KimStim's website.