The Giants

Bouli Lanners, a name unknown to me, directed this rather intriguing film. The story tells of a friendship among three teenagers, two of who are brothers. The other teenage has an older brother who sells and uses drugs and regularly beats up his younger brother for hanging around with the other kids. All three kids live in the house belonging to the two brother's deceased grandfather. They are bored out of their minds, whiling away the hours, smoking joints, going for joyrides in the grand father's car and when they're hungry, stealing food from the neighbour's cellar. Eventually, what little money they have, finally runs out. Later, when the older boy introduces them to a man who offers them money if they'll let him rent the house in order to grow marijuana, they reluctantly accept. In a way, "Les Geants" explores the same territory as "Lord of The Flies" – William Goldman's classic tale of children left to fend for themselves. While the children in "Lord of The Flies" eventually turn feral, the children in "Les Geants" manage to cling onto some form of normality, by rejecting their upbringing and finally, choosing adventure above familial security. Bouli Lanners gets terrific performances out of the cast, especially out of the three main characters. The film is beautifully shot – long close-ups of grasses waving in the breeze, the sun glinting off winding rivers and glorious sunsets. The pace is unhurried and no shot is wasted. This is not a great film by any means, but it's a lot better than the dross that passes for film making these days.