Here's Tess!
He's with Farr.
Pick it up, Farr.
Put it on.
Good boy.
Sis' elephants are really amazing.
They sense friends in danger miles away.
Farr helped me so many times.
Now I've got many friends.
I'm sorry.
What is it?
Nothing.
Cheers!
It's delicious!
So what do you know about the elephant?
They're big and they're heavy
With a long nose and tusks
But their eyes are full of kindness
I've been here a year and a half.
I finally broke the ice with the holy one.
Are Makl and Smile well?
Does the baby remember me?
I wonder if Mom is still against me becoming a mahout?
Anyway, I'll be home soon.
You're welcome back here any time.
You and all elephants in Japan have a home here.
Thank you, Sir.
I wish elephants in Japan had a refuge like this.
You become their home. Tetsu.
So long. My son.
Thank you very much.
Where are Po and the guys?
I looked but I couldn't find them.
Tetsu!
Take care. Farr.
We'll look after your baby, Farr.
I made this for you. Use it.
Thank you, Po.
Don't forget about us.
Goodbye, everyone.
SPRING 1992/CHIBA
Horticultural High School
Wake up.
Randy, come here.
Come here.
Try to learn something.
'Mah' means go, okay?
Stay away from us!
Enough Tetsu. Randy won't get it.
He definitely will.
Poor thing's not enjoying it.
It's no use just loving them.
You mustn't spoil him.
If we don't drill him the Thai way,
he'll end up no good at all.
Stand up, Randy.
Come on. Stand!
He was doing well when you were away.
What if he gets upset when he's working?
Elephants can kill people easily.
Then what'll happen to him?
Who'll help him then?
You understand me, Randy?
Communication is a two-way street.
We need rules to all get along.
You must learn with me.
Stand up, Randy.
Stand up.
You did it. Good boy.
What's this?
Doodling in my class?
It's a design plan.
What?
My dream for the future.
What dream? Spit it out.
In Thailand working elephants retire at sixty
then live quietly in the forest.
I want to build a refuge, a kind of paradise
for elephants that come to Japan.
Apparently it's a paradise...
An elephant paradise.
Forget the old elephants, start worrying about your exams!
Thank you very much.
You can take your break now.
It ran out in front of the van.
You jerk!
Just get rid of it, quick.
I'm sorry.
Dump it, idiot.
I can't believe it!
Are you okay?
What's wrong?
Nothing.
Doesn't look like nothing. What is it?
This is Randy. We were in the parade.
You like animals?
You like making money off them?
You pro's don't give a damn about their lives, do you?
When they stop making money you just dump them.
He just kicked the dead flamingo
like a pile of dirt.
I hate people like that.
But don't underestimate animals.
I don't.
They can tell what's going on.
They know what we're thinking.
Are you this elephant's keeper?
I'm his "mahout".
Mahout?
That's great.
Do you want to try?
Give him this?
How do you get him to open his mouth?
Just hold it out and he'll do it himself.
You're right.
Sorry about what I said earlier.
Good luck with your work.
Would you like to come to our zoo?
Let's go on a date.
How cute.
So many elephants.
We never planned on so many.
You met Randy. This is Mickey, our first one.
The rest are from bankrupt zoos.
Are they mahouts too?
Mom brought them from Thailand.
I'm really impressed.
Good f or you for becoming a mahout.
Don't they look like stars?
Stars?
Orion's Belt.
You're right.
I look at this like it's the whole universe.
The universe...
When we understand each other I feel a great power inside me.
We all live within that power.
Oh heck.
It's my Mom. Hide quick.
Why?
Why all the grinning?
Nothing.
I won't let you quit high school, do you understand?
We can't always do what we want in life.
You don't want to end up like that.
Don't you love him for what he is?
Incredible to think he went to vet school.
Never got his license, though...
I don't want to waste time.
I want us all to put on an elephant show.
Why in such a hurry?
There are other things for you to study.
That's why I hired those guys from Thailand.
I'm already a mahout, too!
If it means quitting school
then I won't let you work here.
What are you doing, Randy!
You've been too busy to spend time with him.
Don't be afraid. Want to know some elephant words?
Anyway, I got school leave for you.
Whatever.
Nobody cares how hard I work.
Talking about your dreams all day.
Dreams don't provide a living.
Not like you to be doing nothing.
I've been thinking about Tetsu.
What about him?
He's getting more and more unusual.
Can't be helped... not with your genes.
It's my fault he turned out this way.
I've never been a typical mother.
He hates me and turned to elephants instead.
That's what you think, right?
Even so, you've no choice but to allow it.
You've just got to put up with it.
Just like I did with you.
I'm sorry. Please forgive me.
Military orders.
In case the zoo is bombed and you escape.
Not that you'd hurt anyone.
Forgive me.
Go on. Eat it.
Have a bite for me, please.
He ate the poison potato.
It's no damn good.
I'm truly sorry.
Take after take, he always eats it.
It's no use unless he throws it back to the keeper.
I'm sorry.
Ogawa-san, sort it out. Don't leave it up to a kid.
I'll put some medicine on the potato.
He wouldn't eat it when we needed him to.
No. I'll make him act properly without it.
Could we please have more time?
You can't ask an elephant not to eat.
I can.
Listen to me!
I give you one more day.
No more.
You made a promise
and I'll hold you to it.
I understand. Let me at him.
Get off. Your technique is old-fashioned.
I've got my way. Stay out of it.
Who do you think you're talking to?
You're not my kids but I look after you.
Don't you dare forget that.
One. Two.
Three, four, five.
Hey, no cheating!
I'm home.
Hi, there. How come you're so late?
Dad's been back for hours. He's in the bath with baby.
He's not my damn Dad!
Tetsu!
What's up with you!
Did you have fight with him?
None of your business.
If it's about work, yes.
I told you, you're still too young.
I don't know what happened, but he's been upset too.
Says you've been distant recently.
Don't act like you know everything.
Since when did you care how people f eel.
Randy watch carefully.
Do it just like Mickey.
If you throw it you get an apple.
Well done, Randy!
Try it with a potato now.
Tonki. Eat it. Please.
I'm sorry.
So sorry but please eat it f or me.
I beg you.
Please, Tonki.
Okay, great.
Good job, buddy.
Thank you.
You can't out-act kids and elephants.
Well done.
Thank you, Sir.
Well done.
"Japan's First Ever Elephant Show"
Tetsu.
Thanks for coming.
There's a big crowd, I'm really impressed.
I'm nervous.
A mahout can't let himself be down.
Here, have something to eat.
I know you didn't have breakfast.
Isn't there anything we can do?
Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to our show.
It's our honor to present to you
our very first elephant show.
To be honest, I'm nervous.
Elephants have an amazing ability
to communicate, understand and help one another.
Compared to them
I think we find it very difficult.
It's hard to know what someone thinks.
Personally, I'm incapable
of communicating with my mother and father.
Sometimes I wish I were an elephant.
In Thailand, to begin training,
baby elephants are forced apart from their mothers.
When we carry out this cruel separation
the mother goes wild with rage and
the baby desperately tries to get home.
We go to such extent to be with them
so we mahouts,
feel a heavy responsibility for them.
We share their happiness and sadness
help each other out and share our lives.
I hope you all manage to share with us
and enjoy the show today.
Dismount.
Mount.
Say hello.
Where're you going?
Tetsu.
I've got a meeting.
Here's your lunch.
Don't worry, I'll grab something.
I know you won't. I made it especially.
Forget it.
I insist.
Okay, thank you.
Drive safe.
See you.
See you later.
10 NO V. 1992
Tetsu...
SPRING 1993
Excuse me.
Are you Tetsu's mother?
My name is Emi.
Are you all right?
I'm sorry to make you come up here.
That's okay.
Are you moving?
Yes, making a fresh start...
We cleared everything out.
I forgot to introduce myself.
I know.
He told me about you.
He did?
It's so hard to believe.
One minute you know everything...
Then you lose sight of it all.
Here.
Tetsu drew this.
I forgot to give it him back.
I wanted to give it to you.
He told me of his dream to create this refuge.
I didn't know anything about him.
I never even tried to understand.
You know why he loved elephants so much?
He made me promise not to tell you.
He said.
The reason he loved them so
is because you were obsessed with them.
He must have really loved you.
He wanted to follow your dream.
I'm sorry.
SUMMER 2005
How's Tetsu doing?
He's good.
Come here. Tetsu.
Let's go, Farr.
Come along, Tetsu.
YUYA YAGIRA
TAKAKO TOKIWA
KATSUMI TAKAHASHI
YU AOI
MITSUKO BAISHO
TETSUYA TAKEDA
Executive Producer CHIHIRO KAMEYAMA
Co-Executive Producers: KAZUYOSHI SEKI, YOSHISHIGE SHIMATANI. YOSHIRO HOSONO
Producers HIRO YOSHI KOIWAI. KAZUTOSHI WADAKURA
Based on the story by SAYURI SAKAMOTO
Screenplay: SUMIO OMORI
Music: RYUICHI SAKAMOTO
No animals were harmed in the making of this film.
In association with Cine Bazar. MATCHING MOTION PICTURES
Directed by SHUNSAKU KAWAKE
English subtitles by Aya Futam & Kennedy Taylor ©2005 FUJI TELEVSON NETWORK. /TOHO/ S-D-P
Ripped by: SkyFury