The Giants Review

The Giants
Two 15 year-old brothers Seth (Nissen) and Zak (Chasseriaud) spend the summer in their late grandfather's house, as their absentee mother is working abroad. Bored and lacking in funds, they soon make friends with another unsupervised local teen (Bartel) and decide to rent the house out to a drug dealer. However, the young teens aren't as in control of this dangerous situation as they think...

by Patrick Peters |
Published on
Release Date:

13 Jul 2012

Running Time:

84 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Giants, The

Akin to a Dardenne variation on Tom and Huck, Bouli Lanners’ third feature is an awkward mix of implausible plotting and inspired insight into the psyche of modern teenage boys. While the focus is on how two siblings will cope left to their own devices over the summer, Lanners explores adolescent insecurity with a tact that carries over into the burgeoning friendship with fellow outcast Paul Bartel. When the trio encounter a drug dealer the action becomes increasingly contrived, but performances are bullish and Jean-Paul de Zaetijd’s verdant views are ravishing.

It suffers from an implausible and contrived plot, but the charming performances from the teenage leads greatly improve this film.
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