The Selfish Giant

There's no denying its rawness or realism, but "The Selfish Giant" can't help but feel awfully recycled all the same -there are a million films dealing with the same subjects (poverty, petty crime and tragedy in British working-class) in roughly the same style. It's well-shot and well-acted and the (rather bleak, who could have guessed) ending can pack quite a punch, but, at the end of the day, it's pretty much interchangeable.

Grim and dull, carried well by the technical prowess of it's director and the actors. I'm getting fed up of these British working-class, independent films with a child lead.

A well observed and reasonably engaging iteration of the kitchen sink drama, but an undercurrent of familiarity and inevitability hamper the film, which may have been allayed if the main characters were more charismatic; while well-acted, the protagonists are a fairly dull, doleful and interchangeable bunch who don’t make a memorable impression, which also makes the tragedy which marks the final act lose some of its impact. Not uninteresting, but we have been to this well many times before.

Deceptively simple and quietly intense coming-of-age story. Reminded me somewhat of Loach's best film 'Kes'. Clio Barnard is the best thing to ever hit Britain since Lynne Ramsay. She is equally as skilled at portraying complex and vivid characters and creating poetic if not sensual visuals.

My appreciation for it grows the more I think about it. A heartfelt, neorealist fable that simmers with a quiet intensity, portraying the hardships of a cynical adult world with careful restraint. Chapman showcases both wit and emotional depth in his first starring role and the supporting cast brings ample gravity to the proceedings.

A gritty realistic portrayal of the crossover of adult and child worlds in West Yorkshire. Beautifully shot with a impending sense of doom. Incredibly strong performances from the 2 young leads and a solid supporting cast of adults. A compelling watch.

Rauw, realistisch, heftig.

kitchen sink in more ways than one

Octubre? 2016 - Cru drama social, ben explicat, auster. Passa poca cosa; en un entorn així, què més es pot esperar? El ritme no acaba d'estirar prou. No sé com és el conte del Wilde, però aquí el gegant no és tant important.

The two boys destroyed me, giving subtle and heartfelt performances. The story is simple enough, but it makes quips at capitalism and greed in a great way. Tragedy and friendship at their finest.

Another of those exceptional gritty dramas based on the lives of poverty-stricken folk. Between Ken Loach, Andrea Arnold and Clio Barnard we have a force to outgun even the mighty Dardennes. Almost everything in this film is beautifully executed, from the performances of the kids, to the cinematography, the pacing, the story and the strong emotional core of the film. It should have been picked up for a few more awards and much more mainstream publicity, this great British film needs watching.

Wasn't much of a story here.

If making you cry at the end makes a good movie then this one must be good. However, I'm not sure how I managed to watch through to the ending. I couldn't have done it without subtitles & frequent repeats & pauses. The accents are impossible to decipher and so fragmented & stylized that at times it's barely recognizable as English. The story is simple, and there is a tramatic ending, but it was engaging and entertaining, though quite jarring at the end.

A coming of age story mixed with a critique of post-industrial British society, but it didn't touch me as much as I expected, maybe because it lacks to give me some magical and transcdental moments. A similar movie from 2014, Kaan Mujdeci's "Sivas" is a cinematically more engaged and exciting version of this movie, but still that's not a bad movie.

Clio Barnard's sophomore work is in a sense a very traditional British drama - perched on Oscar Wilde's shoulders and harking as well to such films as Loach's "Kes" and Ramsay's "Ratcatcher" - but is not the job of a fledgling... she plays in the big league.

probably better than most loach tbh

A quietly intense, affecting and bleak neorealist masterclass; the influence of Loach, Leigh and the Dardennes is clearly felt. But Clio Barnard's take on the Oscar Wilde fable with which it shares a title - that which speaks of the value of embracing the value and enthusiasm of children - deserves attention on its own terms, a poetic, grimly beautiful success, imbued with authenticity and portrayed by an authentic cast.

My Little Pony II: The Fish Tank Years

grim poverty porn for people who enjoy being depressed

A raw and emotionally bleak white (british) trash coming of age film filled with an absorbing sense of fantasy and reality -- these kids barely have a home and a family, are often in the face of brutal grown-ups, but they care about the thrills of doing wrong stuff in a world they created for themselves, as well as making money to support their families. Barnard cleverly doesn't exploit the shocking death for tear-jerking reasons. Instead, he uses it for neorealistic purposes.

The best thing about this film is that it portrays a seemingly simple story, but works on so many levels. So universally relevant, yet so open to interpretation. The way Barnard portrays these characters is nothing short of amazing. Humans are blinded by greed and hatred, but are not fully lost due to the deep morals that create a bearable ethic, without falling into altruism. I figured the ending out way in advance, but it still manages to surprise me with a little twist.

13. !f - Fitaş: Kurduğu distopyavari atmosferle dikkat çeken, İngiliz sosyal gerçekçiliğinin izleri nin yoğun şekilde hissedildiği, sert bir alt sınıf portresi. Heyecan verici bir ilk film.

A great working-class coming-of-age story, as the Brits are so adept at making. Conner Chapman gives a very natural and engaging performance, and Barnard's direction is very self-assured and direct.

This is the very best of British film making. Cleverly written story with great acting from the two lead role. The beautiful restrained symbolic subtext is very elegantly put behind the story.

A solid, solid film. If you like these gritty, English films it's up there with the best. The two young leads are fantastic and the horrible situation they find themselves in is just heartbreaking to watch.