Critic Reviews

Through it all Philps keeps her camera low the better to represent the children’s as-yet-unformed POV, both literally and emotionally

Katrine Philp’s documentary boldly argues for a clear-eyed frankness in talking to bereaved children about loss.

It could be argued that the film needed a little more documentary-style explanation about how the facility works — how long children stay, the goals of the treatment, and so on. But ultimately, Philp can’t be blamed for stressing emotional engagement over exposition.

In the end, there is no denying An Elephant in the Room is a very earnest project and it is the kind of documentary that has a subject so strong and primordial to its existence that “appearances and effects” might bear little consequences to its overall appreciation.

The film exudes empathy, as you'd expect, but struggles to find a compelling point of view.

Beautiful Something Left Behind, which won the documentary award at last year’s South by Southwest Film Festival when the film was called “An Elephant in the Room,” serves as a snapshot of kids in emotional crises, but sadly, little more.