Samenvattingen(1)
Teenage Adam is vacationing with his parents at Lake Superior. There he meets cousins Riley and Nate, roughly his age, and they spend the endlessly dragging summer days together until boyhood rivalry changes the course of events. A powerful and engaging drama about a sensitive period of life, built upon authentic performances and a wonderfully shifting atmosphere. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(meer)Recensie (3)
(50th KVIFF) I put Sleeping Giant into my festival schedule basically because it was the first screening that I managed to get to on my arrival day. The blind bet was surprisingly better than expected. It’s a pleasant holiday movie, a boys’ summer adventure at a lake with nice atmosphere. The boys hang-out, do silly things, talk about first loves and problems with their parents. It has good cinematography and sound and a brisk editing. What makes it stand out from similar summer teenage coming-of-age stories are the dark tones that surface in the second half, where some lies and bad decisions have lethal consequences and the characters must live with them. The careless summer fun ends and the film stays with the viewer. 70 %
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I am aware that alternative realistic dramas can come up with different opinions and ideas here and there. But the Sleeping Giant tells the story of three bratswhose fingers I wanted to break as I watched everything they did in the otherwise beautiful countryside around Ontario. The scenes where they’re bashing a dead pigeon with a stick or burning some sort of a bug alive made my blood boil.
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Another film about how it is possible to grow up. I must admit that I didn't enjoy watching that gang of brats at all, but I guess it's just because I'm at an age where I'm increasingly distancing myself from them, and it shows on me quite a bit. On the other hand, even the adult male character was worthless and amounted to nothing significant. But it’s well-filmed with a creeping, unsettling progression.
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