The Selfish Giant (2013)

Arbor lives on the fringes of society, barely present as his school, drifting in and out of his home, and already embroiled in petty crime before reaching his teens. He has ambitions in scrap which brings him into the sphere of Kitten, a man whose personality is fiercely at odds with his moniker.Barnard's Ken Loach and Andrea Arnold influences are all too evident. The triumphs are the performances from the child actors, Connor Chapman all raw energy as the feral Arbor, and Shaun Thomas as vulnerable Swifty give genuinely moving performances. Unfortunately, all this takes second stage to an unrelentingly shouty, snarly, foul-mouthed depiction of the underclass. The characters are probably not based on Barnard's lived experience: depressingly, they seem to owe more to the lurid pages of The Daily Mail. Three women appear in the story - Arbor's mother, Swifty's mother and Kitten's wife, and seem to blend into each other in their put-upon world-weariness. The men are similarly indistinguishable in their constant provocations. There is no tenderness, no quiet affection, to break this monotony of misery. This is problematic because when Kitten takes the film's climactic act upon himself, it is a character trait completely inauthentic to everything we have seen of this man beforehand.Lynne Ramsay in 'Ratcatcher' and Paddy Considine in 'Tyrannosaur' show there is nuanced storytelling to be mined in Broken Britain. This film tries too hard to wear Ken Loach's clothes, but lacks the compassion of a 'Kes'. Disingenuous and unconvincing.

(79%) A brilliant, honest look into modern day British life for children living at the very bottom step of society. If Ken Loach is to retire (don't hold your breath) then Barnard is worthy to continue what he has perfected, as this is "Raining stones" through the eyes of children. The performances from the two main stars is uniquely wonderful, and they are real performances, not to be confused with simply playing themselves, as I don't buy that for a second. This comes highly recommended for anyone who craves some grim reality in their cinema, with plenty of bite, attention to detail, and a heart bursting, non-sugar coated tale to tell. A future British low-budget classic in waiting.

The Selfish Giant is in line with the purest British tradition of social cinema à la Ken Loach, relying on classical, overused yet still striking, themes such as poverty, unemployment and the social link.But while the tireless Englishman manages to create a story around those themes and to (relatively) renew himself, Clio Barnard's approach remains very primary. The plot lacks grip and stakes, we've seen the situations a million times before, the characters can't be more typical and ultimately the scenario doesn't offer anything that hasn't been tackled, often in a better way, in other productions. Basically, every characteristic of the genre is excessively emphasized which sometimes gives the impression to be watching a parody.However, the story still does the trick because it is sincere and the good direction coupled with good acting make The Selfish Giant an above average movie yet too banal to really stand out in a saturated genre.

Every once and awhile a movie comes along and rattles your core. It doesn't use graphics or fantasia - just raw human grit.It picks you up gently, rising you ever higher. You peer from this mountainous peak of mortal avidity as you gaze upon the truth that which it shows with such grotesque purity. You then realize you're helpless at such a height - as if suddenly finding yourself uncomfortably aware of the precarious position you're in as your heart, your mind, and your soul yields to its every whim; forcing you to confront the harsh reality that is life.In the midst of the aftermath, you emerge anew, humbled, adapted - for one more jaunt into the fray.This my friends, is one of those movies.