The Elephant and the Sea

Colour, DIGIBETA
Malaysia, Netherlands, 2007, 95 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

An elephant has disappeared and its owner has to make do without it. The sea has retreated, but all the harm it has done is still visible. The inhabitants of a coastal village try to make the best of it, on both sides of the law. Yun Ding does all kinds of things to make ends meet, even putting down planks in the road with nails hammered into them so he can then mend the punctured tyres... Silent fisherman Ah Ngau was at sea for days and when he came back, he discovered his wife had died. His coastal village is under quarantine due to a mysterious disease and he is forced to spend some time in the nearby city. The film leaves many questions unanswered. But together the fragments and impressions evoke the special atmosphere of life in a contemporary tropical Malaysian village.

About the director

Woo Ming Jin (b. 1976, Malaysia) studied film and TV production in California and worked on several television shows and commercials. In addition, he has worked as a screenwriter, cameraman and editor on productions such as The Amber Sexalogy, Wind Chimes and the documentary The Custodial Code. He made his feature debut in 2006 with Monday Morning Glory, which was screened in Berlin. Films: Love for Dogs (2003, short), It’s Possible Your Heart Cannot Be Broken (2005, short), Salon (2005), Monday Morning Glory (2006), The Elephant and the Sea (2007).