What better way to kick-off deadline season than by watching the YouTube premiere of Elephant, the final production of DU Players Freshers’ Fest 2020. Written and directed by Lora Hartin and Ultan Pringle, Elephant centres around a Zoom call between a group of friends who have drifted apart due to the changes brought about by lockdown and starting college.
The opening credits set the tone for Elephant – a haunting cover of ABBA’s “S.O.S.” with ominous synths playing over footage of elephants warn the viewer of what’s to come. The cast of Sean Loughrey, Erica Smith, Niamh de Brun, Craig Maguire, Conor Bustos, Asmita Baronia, Odhran Exton and Seán McDermott bring the eight, once close-knit school friends to life, as they confront the titular elephant in the Zoom call.
First on screen is Jamie, the host of the Zoom call, happily singing Cabaret’s “Maybe This Time” and excited to catch up with his friends. He is quickly joined by Kate who comments on her overbearing, misogynist mother, and Holly who has become so TikTok famous that people now recognise her in Dunnes. Holly’s fame isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be however, as her long-distance relationship with Sam – who has gone to college in Edinburgh – isn’t as strong as it was pre-lockdown.
The trio are then joined by Alex, Lia and Oisin. Alex has found college liberating, as it has allowed him a fresh start with new friends. Lia has found love but experienced some trouble adjusting to the lecture hall environment, while Oisin has gotten a new boyfriend which ignites old tensions between himself and Jamie. After Kate learns that her old flame Mark has a new girlfriend, Sam arrives late, having forgotten about the Zoom call, followed by South Dublin supremo Mark.
The conversation starts off awkwardly with once-friendly slagging coming across as venomous, not to mention the sense of tension created by the aforementioned relationship troubles. As Sam describes his new life in Edinburgh, which features watching films with his roommates and the demands of his course, Holly learns that she doesn’t even know what her boyfriend is studying. This leads to a confrontation between Holly and Sam about the state of their relationship, and the effect that moving away has had on Sam.
Not to be outdone in unhealthy relationship dynamics, the Connell and Marianne-esque coupling of Kate and Mark provide bursts of conflict throughout the call. Their interactions hint at the perils of an intense teenage romance.
Despite the difficulties of filming via Zoom, the cast of Elephant succeeded in capturing the uneasy dynamic of a friend group in decline and the growing pains of starting college, compounded by the isolation of online lectures. I particularly enjoyed Odhran Exton’s portrayal of Sam’s homesickness and Asmita Baronia’s Lia, feeling rejected by her classmates.
Throughout the performance, the themes of loneliness, differing maturity levels and coping with change were explored. These themes resonated with the viewer, leaving one with a sense of despair about one’s own circumstances or bittersweet memories of the transition from secondary school to university.
Elephant is now available to watch on the DU Players YouTube channel.
