I too was brought to tears, but it was when I saw that Tyke had not died in vain.
I almost didn't finish it, then realized I'd already seen the worst of it -- Tyke and other elephants' torture and abuse, and how Tyke had fought against it by what meager means she had to do it, and lost her life as a result.
I'm VERY glad I finished watching, and saw how far things have come, which had a lot to do with Tyke. Seeing those ex-circus elephants in the PAWS preserve, seeing the one elephant who'd be rescued from the same circumstances and how afraid he was of being so harshly punished, finally know kindness and that never again would he be treated the way he was for all of his life, THAT was worth the tremendous heartbreak of the first half of the documentary.
The only hard part to watch in the second half is that asshole circus shill, Johnny Walker.
This is an outstanding documentary, and should have been at least nominated for an Academy Award. IMO it should have not only been nominated, but won.
All points of views were represented and presented fairly. Even the vile Johnny Walker. The only POV not represented was Ringling Brothers, and that was because they refused to participate (gee, can't imagine why). However, a small circus owner was interviewed, still believing there's nothing wrong with using these animals for sheer entertainment (and profit of course) for people, regardless of the cost to the animals themselves. One of Tyke's ex-trainers, who appeared to have some real love and respect for Tyke (and other performing elephants) was extensively interviewed throughout. He feels sadness for the loss of the old days, when this was common. The viewer can feel some compassion for him, while still disagreeing that what he did was okay. There's more, but this should be enough to show that the documentary was even-handed, letting viewers decide for themselves.
You're not left feeling warm and fuzzy at the end; there's too much sadness and horror.
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