DANCING ON THE ELEPHANT

​Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Dancing on the Elephant   Canada
Location: SilverCity
Showtimes: 6:30 & 8:30 pm
 
Director:  Julia Neill, Jacob Smith
Cast: Sheila McCarthy, Mary Walsh, Amanda Brugel, Kevin Kincaid
Running Time: 95 minutes
Language:  English 
 
Awards/Nominations: Atlantic Film Festival: Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Mary Walsh); Excellence in Editing; Screen Nova Scotia Wards: Best Feature Film, Outstanding Performance (Kevin Kincaid); Oakville Festival of Film and Art: Best Canadian Film; WorldFest-Houston International Film Fest: Best Feature Film. 
 
“Dancing on the Elephant” is charming, funny and sweet. Sheila McCarthy and Mary Walsh give terrific performances.”---Rebecca Cherry, Film Carnage
 
“Dancing on the Elephant” deals with the final stages of life, but this isn’t necessarily a story about resignation. Through two female inhabitants of the Shady Rest Retirement Home, we see the revelation and rediscovery of purpose through unexpected friendship.
 
Nora (Sheila McCarthy) begins the story with the weary posture of someone who feels abandoned. Her son Kenny drops her off at the facility with good intentions but obvious guilt, and Nora recognizes the situation immediately for what it is. She’s not being helped into the next phase of life; she’s being removed from the one she had.
 
Mary Walsh’s Edna enters like lightning in comparison. The character is loud, unapologetic, and suspicious of everything around her. She mocks the home’s routines, refuses to follow instructions. 
 
The friendship between these two women becomes the heart of the film. One carries regret and sadness, while the other masks fear with defiance and humor. Together, they form the type of bond that only emerges when two people realize they have little left to lose.
 
Walsh, in particular, delivers a performance that balances comedy with vulnerability, producing many of the film’s funniest moments, but there’s always an undercurrent of fear driving her behaviour. McCarthy plays the emotional counterbalance. Nora starts cautious and guarded, but her gradual shift toward Edna’s worldview becomes one of the most satisfying arcs in the story. .
 
There are moments of sadness but the story never loses its sense of humor or perspective. The characters aren’t defined solely by decline. They still crave adventure, companionship, and small acts of rebellion. 
 
By centering two women who refuse to disappear quietly, the story becomes both a celebration of life and a reminder that personal agency doesn’t expire with age. The result is a film that balances laughter with reflection, never losing sight of the humanity at its core, creating a memorable experience for the viewer.