A searing look into the depths of the human soul...

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 2005)

I picked this movie up at my local video store without any previous knowledge about it. I was simply intrigued by the curious title, and the strange hooded figure on the cover it seemed to refer to. Not surprisingly, all the characters in this movie, are driven to find the answer to the same question. What is intriguing about this movie is its exploration of each individual's response (us included) once they are confronted with the truth.
I will not be spoiling anything by telling you that he is hideous; the most deformed, deranged man you will probably ever see. So a warning to those of the faint of heart. The movie does a fine job of covering the entire spectrum of human responses, from obvious shock and revulsion, to sympathy and kindness, to exploitation and greed.
I believe though that at the heart of this movie is clear humanistic message: that while superficially he may be different, he is still a man, and certainly deserving of anything that any other "normal" man is entitled to.
Once you've can overcome the shock of seeing the "ogre" full face, and you look him straight in the face without fear, without disgust, are his eyes in fact any different? He is simply another human being, born from a mother's womb, capable of happiness and sadness, destined to die, no different in anyway except that he had the most unfortunate fate of being born into a most hideous vessel.
While this is not a horror movie, it is certainly disturbing. But not in way due to the behavior or appearance of the elephant man (far from it ironically). Rather the disturbing content comes from the way he is treated by other "normal" humans.
If your thinking well all this has been done before, your right it has. But I never get tired of it, and only rarely has it been told with such fine performances all around, and such searing truth. I highly recommend this movie to all, and sincerely wish more movies like this would come out in the near future.