Gigante (2009)

A chronicle of a supermarket security guard's obsession with a late-shift janitor.

Director:

Adrián Biniez

Writer:

Adrián Biniez (screenplay)

Stars:

Horacio Camandule, Leonor Svarcas, Ignacio Alcuri

16 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Horacio Camandule	...	Jara
Leonor Svarcas	...	Julia
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ignacio Alcuri	...	Empleado del Cibercafé
Fernando Alonso	...	Julio
Diego Artucio	...	Omar
Ariel Caldarelli	...	Jaras Chef
Fabiana Charlo	...	Mariela
Andrés Gallo	...	Fidel
Federico García	...	Matías
Néstor Guzzini	...	Tomás
Esteban Lago	...	Gustavo
Leandro Lagos	...	Tipo en el boliche
Ernesto Liotti	...	Danilo
Carlos Lissardy	...	Kennedy
Nacho Mendy	...	Miguel

Storyline

In Montevideo, Jara works the graveyard shift monitoring security cameras at a supermarket. He's about 30, solitary, quiet, and big. He watches TV, likes heavy metal, and sometimes works as a bouncer at a disco. One night he notices one of the cleaning crew, Julia; he watches her via the cameras as she works, then follows some days as she goes to an Internet café, the beach, shopping, or the movies. He stays out of her sight and never talks to her. Thinking she may be hiding somewhere in the store with a male co-worker, Jarita breaks some rules and gets suspended. Then, while watching her one evening, she meets a man. What will Jara do?

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Plot Keywords:

work | supermarket | janitor | bouncer | disco | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Uruguay Argentina Germany Spain Netherlands

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

4 December 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Giant

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,523 (USA) (1 January 2010)

Gross:

$6,542 (USA) (29 January 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ctrl Z Films, Rizoma Films, Pandora Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

masterpiece of low-scale artistic cinema

Coming from Uruguay Gigante is a masterpiece of low-scale artistic cinema. How this slight story about a metal-loving night security guard stalking the girl of his dreams turned out to be my favorite romantic movie of 2009 lies within its refreshing approach artfully implemented with a dead-pan precision and confidence. Gigante's director Adrien Binez uses the voyeuristic tone of the movie not to oppress viewers, but to enchant them. The movie happens to be sweet when we watch Jara, a large, quiet soul following Julia, an accident-prone cleaner wherever she goes and whatever she does. It abounds with numerous wonderfully observed scenes that abandon the dialogue almost entirely. My favorite scene involves visiting the cinema where Jara has difficulty deciding which movie has been chosen by his love-interest, a love story or a horror movie about a mutant. Guess which one it was. As regards acting, Horacio Camandule provides a sharp and totally likable performance, while Leonor Svarcas is convincing even though her part is limited. Overall, Gigante may be too slow-paced for some, but for me it happens to be an endlessly engrossing miracle of a movie. 9/10 (A-)