1980 / David Lynch > When dealing with subject of such social sensitivity as Joseph Merrick, the so-called “Elephant Man,” directors are put in a very tight spot: They can either go balls-out with sympathetic adoration, or stay back and reduce the emotions in order to portray the objective viewpoint. Lynch, as confident and masterful has he thinks he is, tries to combine the two into proving a fuller experience. It’s unfortunate, then, that I personally just didn’t find much satisfaction in his overall presentation. Save for the famous “I am not an animal!” cry, I found The Elephant Man mostly uninteresting, if well-made. The question we have to ask as viewers is fairly simple: Was Merrick actually an interesting person? Is he worthy of being made a film about? Or are we falling into the same trap as circus goers and simply praising a film because it involves a deformed man of possible intelligence, and we simply cannot be caught failing to extend our hearts to him?