"“Simply isn't gripping enough, failing to truly keep you on board for the full duration of the production...”"

When it comes to contemporary South American cinema, there are few more important filmmakers than Argentine Pablo Trapero, nor are there many better actors than Ricardo Darín from that part of the world – so when the two join forces in upcoming feature White Elephant, there is much expectation, however this feature suffers much in the same way their recent collaborative effort Carancho did – as a well-made film that is just too, for use of a better word, boring.

We follow two close friends and priests  – Julián (Darín) and Nicolas (Jérémie Renier) who live in the slums of Buenos Aires in a shantytown called Villa Virgin, working inexhaustibly to help the local residents, hoping to conclude the construction of a brand new hospital. However the gang-related crime and the growing tension amongst the locals becomes too much to bear, as the priests soon find their work appearing somewhat redundant and futile, in an area that seems almost beyond repair. However, a shining light comes in the form of social worker Luciana (Martina Gusman) who takes a liking to Nicolas.

Much like Carancho, White Elephant is a slow starter, taking a while to get into the film and to get close to the characters. The entire first half of the film enters unfortunate levels of tedium, however if you can get through that relatively unscathed, the final act is compelling.

Trapero offers an intriguing take on the the poverty-stricken crime thriller, as we take an almost subjective approach, looking at the criminal word of the slums from an outside perspective; that of the priests. As a result we don’t take sides or delve too far into the characters involved in the gang war, but merely peer in from the priests unbiased point of view, a viewpoint centred around achieving peace rather than getting involved.

Darín is brilliant as our lead, as somewhat of an anti-hero. He carries an incredible screen presence, and although being rough around the edges and not your “typical” movie star, he just has this likeability and charisma about him, a reassuring presence that allows for you to put your faith in his character, whomever he may be portraying.

Although evidently taking pointers from the likes of City of God, White Elephant simply isn’t gripping enough, failing to truly keep you on board for the full duration of the production. By not feeling emotionally engaged or involved with the characters due to the pensive start, the distinct lack of emotion merely dampens the final scenes; a shame, because that’s when the film really picks up the pace.