Potato On-the-Go:
A country's trying times has always been an effective backdrop for literary masterpieces and great films. A lot of movie makers have produced films that used the settings of war, political oppression and rising social chaos. But for this film from 20th Century Fox, "Water for Elephants", I particularly got intrigued on the film's intent to exploit the great depression of USA in the 1930s.
Based on the acclaimed number-one bestseller Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, the story happened during the Great Depression where Jacob (Robert Pattinson) a penniless and recently orphaned veterinary medicine student, left his hometown and looked somewhere else to continue his life. He found himself and got the ride of his life inside The Big Top, a train that houses and transports circus performers around the country. Even without a finished degree, he was given the chance to attend to the needs of the animals which way of life, is not very different from the humans who also work for the circus. Compassion for a special elephant brought together Jacob and Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), one of the show's star performers. They both discovered life's beauty despite the inhumane living conditions in the Big Top. But both restrained themselves on what they feel as their lives are in the possession of no less than August (Christoph Waltz), Marlena's unpredictable and dangerous husband.
