Love & Bananas

Parents need to know that Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story is a 2018 documentary about the work conservationist Lek Chailert is doing to rescue Asian elephants from cruel captivity. There are some intense scenes in which young elephants are shown being taken from their mothers, then placed in a “crush box” where they are beaten with sticks and chains for 24 hours straight until they are “broken” for training — to be ridden by tourists or taught to perform in circuses. There are scenes of elephants who have lost legs from stepping on land mines, whose legs are bloodied from abuse, and whose bodies are scarred from abuse at the hands of humans. An elephant who lost an eye from getting hit with a slingshot is shown. These scenes and discussion of the cruelty and exploitation that Asian elephants suffer might be too intense for younger viewers and sensitive animal lovers of any age. Overall, this informative documentary showcases the positive work that conservationist Lek Chailert has achieved by rescuing elephants from cruel captivity and keeping them safe and happier in nature preserves where they’re free to move around and frolic with other elephants.