'White Elephant' Review | Canadian Film Fest 2021

A Quick Note: sincerest apologies for the silence on here the last few weeks. Pesky real life responsibilities got in the way and I fell well behind my plans of covering Canadian Film Fest which has now come and gone. However, I did get to watch some pretty great Canadian-made films that were a part of the festival and even got some great interviews with the filmmakers behind them. I'll be churning out all of the CFF coverage this week, hope you enjoy!

Canadian Film Fest 2021 ran from April 1–17 and was presented by Super Channel. A lot of phenomenal Canadian-made movies were a part of the line up and I was fortunate to get to watch a few.

Check out my full coverage of CFF 2021, including reviews and filmmaker interviews!

White Elephant (2020)

^{Jaded Pictures}

Director/Writer: Andrew C
Cast: Zaarin Bushra, Gurleen Singh, Dulmika Kevin Hapuarachchi, Jesse Nasmith, Yahya Amin, Kumar Kapasi, Amanda Catibog, Kalyna Fisher, Riley James Myers, Kessandra Cook

Synopsis: Set in 1996, in a majority-minority neighbourhood in Scarborough, 16-year-old Pooja finds herself torn between her crush on a white boy, and her Brown and Black friends. Her relentless pursuit takes a violent turn, ultimately making her quest for love, a question of self-love.

Review:

Representation in film and TV was something I didn't think I needed until I started seeing it. I've connected to shows like Kim's Convenience (2016-2021) and movies like Minari (2020) in ways that I didn't realise you could connect to a story on screen. And for all the great Asian-American/Canadian films and shows, White Elephant is one of the first movies I've seen that mirrors my own experiences almost to a perfect T.

In Andrew C's feature directorial debut, we follow Pooja (Zaarin Bushra), an outspoken young woman stuck in between two worlds: her Western upbringing and her South Asian heritage. Not Brown enough for her fellow South Asian friends but too Brown for her Caucasian classmates. White Elephant is a coming of age story as Pooja comes to terms with who she is as a person and how the world perceives her.

If you grew up in the Greater Toronto Area at the turn of the millennium, White Elephant will provide you with some truly visceral nostalgia. The hairstyles, clothing, and Discman will take you right back to your pre-teen and teenage years. My personal favourite was the slang used throughout White Elephant -- it's been awhile since I heard "butter face" and "that's dry" (yes, we really used to talk like this). The soundtrack used is also delightfully era-appropriate and truly elevates the "period piece" aspect of White Elephant.

The fun nostalgia trip aside, White Elephant explores the complex issues of internal racism and self-acceptance. Pooja's journey is one that many of us first and second generation Canadians have endured and continue to navigate well into adulthood. Growing up in a Western country, it's only natural to be absorbed into and moulded by Hollywood's influence. Like Pooja, many of us grew up inundated with the idea of Western beauty and what is deemed to be attractive or 'normal'. White Elephant does a terrific job of presenting these issues without preaching an altruistic, tidy solution.

White Elephant is far from being a perfect movie. The performances can be uneven at times, there are some editing miscues, and even given a short run-time, there are scenes that feel like they could have been trimmed down. However, White Elephant's message of acceptance and self-discovery are important and represent the feelings of so many people, it is easy to overlook those criticisms and appreciate the film for what it represents.

There is a large trend today in Hollywood to develop culturally diverse stories. While this is great overall, the execution at times has left me a bit wanting. What sets White Elephant apart from those movies is its authenticity. There are no false moments of condescension or misguided representation of culture. White Elephant is exactly the kind of movie I would have loved to see as a young person and I am very grateful that it exists for younger generations.

A massive congratulations to Andrew and the entire cast and crew of White Elephant for winning Best Ensemble and Best Set Design at CFF 2021!!