A Story About the Courage to Keep Living

Read Time:5 Minute, 41 Second

MOVIE REVIEWS
Dancing on the Elephant
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Genre: Drama, Comedy
Year Released: 2025, 2026
Runtime: 1h 33m
Director(s): Julia Neill, Jacob Smith
Writer(s): Lisa Hagen
Cast: Sheila McCarthy, Mary Walsh, Amanda Brugel, Kevin Kincaid, Jordan Poole
Where to Watch: shown at the Cinequest Film Festival 2026

RAVING REVIEW: The premise of DANCING ON THE ELEPHANT may seem simple on paper, but its emotion comes from how honestly it observes the final stages of life. The film places us inside the quiet world of a retirement home where routines replace independence and freedoms slowly disappear. Nora arrives at Shady Rest convinced that her life has already reached its closing chapter. What follows isn’t a dramatic reinvention of herself, but something more authentic and far more relatable. We see the revelation and rediscovery of purpose through unexpected friendship.

At the center of this are two veteran performers who understand exactly how to bring lived experience into a role. Sheila McCarthy’s Nora begins the story with the weary posture of someone who feels abandoned. Her son Kenny drops her off at the facility with good intentions but obvious guilt, and Nora recognizes the situation immediately for what it is. She’s not being helped into the next phase of life; she’s being removed from the one she had.

Mary Walsh’s Edna enters like lightning in comparison. The character is loud, unapologetic, and suspicious of everything around her. She mocks the home's routines, refuses to follow instructions, and openly calls the facility a “fox farm,” a phrase that perfectly captures her belief that residents are simply waiting out their final days. The friendship between these two women becomes the heart of the film. One carries regret and sadness, while the other masks fear with defiance and humor. Together, they form the type of bond that only emerges when two people realize they have little left to lose.

Walsh, in particular, delivers a performance that balances comedy with vulnerability. Edna’s personality produces many of the film’s funniest moments, but there’s always an undercurrent of fear driving her behavior. She knows her memory is failing and spends much of the story trying to hide that truth from everyone around her. The film never turns this into a melodramatic reveal. Instead, it allows the audience to recognize what’s happening long before the characters acknowledge it.

McCarthy plays the emotional counterbalance. Nora starts cautious and guarded, but her gradual shift toward Edna’s worldview becomes one of the most satisfying arcs in the story. Their growing friendship is built through small interactions rather than grand gestures. Sharing snacks, mocking exercise routines, and plotting small acts of independence gradually transform the tone of Nora’s life. These moments feel authentic because they resemble real conversations rather than scripted emotional beats.

The screenplay by Lisa Hagen, adapted from her stage play, keeps the focus on character interactions instead of plot mechanics. The story isn’t concerned with building suspense or complex twists. Instead, it explores the emotional realities of aging and the ways people cope with the loss of independence. The story grew out of a stage production that had already earned multiple awards and run for multiple seasons before becoming a feature film. That origin is noticeable in the film’s structure, though not in a negative way. Many scenes unfold in contained environments where dialogue and performance carry the weight of the storytelling. The retirement home becomes a microcosm of aging itself, filled with residents who are each navigating their own version of decline, acceptance, or denial.

Amanda Brugel’s Nurse Barbara, affectionately called “Nursey,” adds another perspective to that world. She represents the caregivers caught between compassion and exhaustion. The character’s personal struggles mirror the residents’ fears, reminding the audience that aging affects entire families and communities, not just the individuals experiencing it. Brugel plays the role with warmth and subdued frustration, avoiding the cliché of the saintly caretaker.

The film also takes time to acknowledge the complicated relationships between parents and adult children. Nora’s son, Kenny, isn’t portrayed as cruel or neglectful. Instead, he embodies the uncomfortable reality many families face when they can no longer care for aging relatives at home. His guilt and awkwardness add structure to the story without turning him into an antagonist.

The film avoids treating aging as a tragedy. There are moments of sadness, particularly as Edna’s memory begins to deteriorate, but the story never loses its sense of humor or perspective. The characters aren’t defined solely by decline. They still crave adventure, companionship, and small acts of rebellion. That spirit culminates in the film’s idea that life doesn’t end simply because society decides someone is “old.” The metaphor behind the title becomes clearer as the story unfolds.

DANCING ON THE ELEPHANT treats its characters with dignity. Too often, stories about aging focus entirely on loss. This film recognizes that aging also carries resilience, humor, and unexpected friendship. By centering two women who refuse to disappear quietly, the story becomes both a celebration of life and a reminder that personal agency doesn’t expire with age. The result is a film that balances laughter with reflection, never losing sight of the humanity at its core. For audiences willing to slow down and spend time with these characters, the experience becomes something beyond expectations. The film’s sincerity and performances elevate a simple premise into something memorable.

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[photo courtesy of OLD NORTH PRODUCTIONS, INDIE ENTERTAINMENT]

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