TIFF Review: ‘Elephant Song' Starring Xavier Dolan, Bruce Greenwood & Catherine Keener

Directing and releasing five films across the last four years, with the three of them premiering at Cannes, and another at Venice, you might understand why Xavier Dolan might not have time to return phone calls. And give the limited stateside distribution of his films, it might also be easy to forget that in addition to writing and directing, Dolan is also a pretty good actor, having appeared in three of his features (“I Killed My Mother,” “Heartbeats” and “Tom At The Farm”). He’s a charismatic and playful screen presence, and when Charles Binamé called with a role in his two-hander “Elephant Song,” Dolan’s attraction to the part seems obvious. It’s a scenery-chewing, spotlight ready role, and he nimbly makes the most of it. Unfortunately, the film around Dolan’s performance is as static and restrained, as he is energetic and loose.

Based on the play by award-winning playwright Nicolas Billon, “Elephant Song” is essentially a battle of wills. Taking place over the...