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White Elephant

White Elephant

Drama

While working alongside his long-time friend and colleague in building a hospital for the residents of a Buenos Aries shantytown, a troubled priest finds solace in a young, atheist social worker.


The critical consensus

The exceptionally well-drawn main characters remain in sharp focus through this sometimes-unwieldy structure.

****(*)Paul Gallagher, The List, 22/02/2013

A flawed drama, but one with emotional power.

***(*)(*)Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 25/04/2013

The problem is the melodramatic and solemn screenplay. The action sequences have an energy reminiscent of City of God but the scenes in which the priests deal with housing problems or struggle with ill health or the temptations of the flesh soon begin to drag.

***(*)(*)Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent, 25/04/2013

Trapero mounts a saga about the role of conscience, which might seem old-fashioned if it weren’t so urgently imagined. An added fillip is Michael Nyman’s stirring score, his best in years.

****(*)Tim Robey, The Telegraph, 25/04/2013

An old-fashioned but satisfying drama.

Allan Hunter, Daily Express, 26/04/2013

There's a lot to think about - sacrifice, faith, poverty and much more - but it all feels too crammed into its running time, and is delivered in an uninspiring fashion.

***(*)(*)David Parkinson, Empire Online, 26/04/2013

A well-constructed, genuinely thrilling drama about spiritual endurance and social commitment.

****(*)Mark Asch, Little White Lies, 25/04/2013

Excellent, hard-hitting.

Philip French, The Observer, 28/04/2013

Pablo Trapero’s social realist parable about good intentions focuses on two priests (Ricardo Darin and Jeremie Renier) waging a losing battle for souls in a Brazilian shanty town.

****(*)Siobhan Synnot, The Scotsman, 05/05/2013

Where and when?

General release. Check local listings for show times.

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