‘The Elephant Whispers’ documentary review: A surprisingly lush safari on the coexistence of man and nature

Boman and Raghu in a still from ‘The Elephant Whispers’ | photo credit: netflix

Surrounded by the Nilgiris, and just beyond the Mayar River, Bomman, Belli, and their children live in the heart of Raghu (an elephant) Theppakadu Elephant Camp, in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. In his short documentary, Kartiki Gonsalves follows this family of three through the changing seasons of the jungle.

Gonsalves’ documentary, which is shortlisted for the 95 ^th The Oscar winner in the Documentary Short Film category, takes viewers on a compelling visual safari as the trees change color, the river fills up, and later in the summer the forest burns in the heat. Just then Bomman and Bailey are put in charge of Raghu, an injured baby elephant separated from his herd. While Gonsalves’ focus remains on the bond that develops between Raghu and his caretakers, she makes a quiet but effective point on the perennial human-animal conflict. The story of the trio is also an important insight into what happens when forest officials fail.Reuniting an elephant calf with its herd,

The lives of Bomman and Bailey, who belong to the Kattunayakan tribe, revolve around this forest. It’s the place their forefathers worked to protect, and it’s what they hope to pass down to their grandchildren. “We live in the forest, but we also protect it,” says Bailey, whose husband was killed by a tiger. This creates a chasm between her and the forest and she begins to fear the place where she grew up. Raghu’s early life followed a similar trajectory. He was separated from his herd after his mother died of electrocution. Beli, who had never taken care of elephants and has recently lost her child, and Raghu, who has not known life around humans, are united in their effort to ease their suffering in the same forest. For Boman, taking care of Raghu is the first step in continuing his grandfather and father’s legacy. After being hurt by an adult elephant earlier, Bomman is assigned by the forest department to take care of the younger elephants.

There is a solid theme of symbiosis between nature and man that runs like a constant thread through the film’s 41-minute duration, during which the lives of Boman, Bailey and Raghu enter unknown but exciting territories in each other’s presence. Huh.

As his family expands, Raghu gets a new sibling in Ammu, a new calf entrusted to the care of Boman and Bailey. With this, the documentary tells us that Bowman and Bailey have become the ‘first couple in South India to successfully foster two orphaned elephants’. Gonsalves’ work is effective in delivering this statistic, however sobering because it foregrounds the care that goes into the act of raising an elephant among humans. Despite this, Gonsalves doesn’t shy away from addressing the issues that led Raghu to lose his mother. The documentary is narrated by Bowman and Bailey themselves, and with Raghu telling the story of his life, human tampering with nature becomes part of his conversation with the audience.

It’s the ease with which Gonsalves extends the documentary’s visuals that makes for an immersive experience. The camera, although constantly documenting the routine of the family, does not disrupt the personal space it occupies. Bomman and Bailey are also never taken out of the forest to tell their story, with the audience curiously following Bomman as he talks about eating Raghu’s pickles, or sitting beside Bailey as she shares her story with Raghu. Remembers the first meeting.

In this way, Gonsalves’ work mimics a safari, where the viewer silently observes the co-existence of nature and man, Bowman, Bailey and Raghu invite you to a place that is getting rarer by the day. Is.

Elephant Whispers is currently streaming on Netflix