The Selfish Giant (2013)

The selfish giant (2013) is a british drama and the themes that run throughout this film are brotherhood, friendship, poverty, suffering and death. This film very emotional and connects to a wide audience range of 16 upwards due to the vulgar language used.  This film was directed by Clip Barnard and also written by him, cinematography by Mike Eley and distributed by IFC Films and Pigment movie pictures. The running film was 91 minutes and the box office of this was $943,209. This film was set is Bradford, northern England and the male protagonist in this film is Arbor, a young helpless boy with a hyperactivity disorder, which gets him into more trouble unintentionally. This film was screened on the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and won the European cinemas award and also nominated for the 2013 Lux Prize. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 5/5 stars.

The first scene shows the two boys, Arbor and Swifty, holding hands under the bed after Arbor having a hyperactivity attack; this indicates already to the audience that they’re showing a sense of brotherhood, love and highlights that they’re strong friends- that this scene is the key meaning to the film. Furthermore, the audience discover that they are best  friends and that when they are together they feel like they are escaping the reality of poverty they live in, making it a fun world to live in for them. This theme of friendship is emphasised throughout the film and is shown by Arbor and Swifty.

Moreover, there are longshots of scenery where cows are walking around; this is done throughout the film, but having different changes to it. The use of the cows could be used to symbolise the boys and that they’re no different to animals due to their class (working class). Mis-en-secne is used to present what class the boys are from. This is shown by the jogging bottoms and same dirty top worn every day, this is also shown by wear they are sleeping, all together in the living room. Furthermore, when the son sells metal and tries to give the £20 to his Mother, indicates that they’re in poverty and that the Mother is suffering for her own son to give her money. When the Mother repeatedly asks Arbor where he got the money from, he has a hyperactivity attack and the Mother can’t control him, this suggests that the Mother is helpless- an indication that the film is based on social realism.  Swift also has a struggling big family with many younger siblings, and the fact that he goes to sleep at Arbor’s house shows that it is his form of escapism from all the responsibilities he has. The microfeature emphasised in this scene was performance, engaging with the audience and making it clear what their financial status is by what they presented through them to the audience.

The title name ‘Selfish Giant’ is connoted through the adults. It is shown throughout the film that the adults are portrayed as the ‘selfish giant’ as the teachers was really harsh to Arbor, even with his hyperactivity condition; he was still treated like an average student. Even the man that owned the scrap yard was making the young boys do his dirty work for him, making them take part in illegal activity.