The Selfish Giant (2013)

Two thirteen year-old working-class friends in Bradford seek fortune by getting involved with a local scrap dealer and criminal.

Director:

Clio Barnard

Writers:

Clio Barnard, Oscar Wilde (inspired by 'The Selfish Giant')

Stars:

Conner Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder

12 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Conner Chapman	...	Arbor
Shaun Thomas	...	Swifty
Ralph Ineson	...	Johnny Jones
Ian Burfield	...	Mick Brazil
Everal Walsh	...	Railway Man (as Everal A. Walsh)
Sean Gilder	...	Kitten
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Mary
Elliott Tittensor	...	Martin Fenton
Rebecca Manley	...	Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton
John Wall	...	School Nurse
Mohammed Ali	...	Mo
Jamie Michie	...	Teacher
Steve Evets	...	'Price Drop' Swift
Siobhan Finneran	...	Mrs. Swift
Bailey Clapham	...	Swift Child

Storyline

An official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, The Selfish Giant is a contemporary fable about 13 year old Arbor (Conner Chapman) and his best friend Swifty (Shaun Thomas). Excluded from school and outsiders in their own neighborhood, the two boys meet Kitten (Sean Gilder), a local scrap dealer. Wandering their town with just a horse and a cart, they begin collecting scrap metal for him. Swifty has a natural gift with horses while Arbor emulates Kitten - keen to impress him and make some money. However, Kitten favors Swifty, leaving Arbor feeling hurt and excluded, driving a wedge between the boys. As Arbor becomes increasingly greedy and exploitative, tensions build, leading to a tragic event that transforms them all.

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Plot Keywords:

yorkshire | horse | boy | scrap metal | working class | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Le géant égoïste

Filming Locations:

Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$132,128 (United Kingdom), 25 October 2013, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,589, 20 December 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$10,531, 3 January 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Film Institute (BFI), Film4, Moonspun Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clio Barnard based Arbor and Swifty on two children she met while filming The Arbor (2010) who worked as scrappers.

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Quotes

Policeman: This is a formal interview under caution. Do you understand that, Fenton? Hey, do you understand?
Arbor: Yeah.
Policeman: A witness saw two youths burning railway or communications cable.
Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton: That's nowt to do with him.
Policeman: Cable theft is a very serious crime, Mrs. Fenton. Trespass on the railway is £1,000 fine.
Arbor: I ain't been on railway.
Policeman: Vandalism, endangering lives, maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton: He's just a kid. He ain't nicked no cable. You're looking at wrong place.
Policeman: He is, as you say, Mrs. Fenton, a minor. ...

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Connections

Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2014)

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Soundtracks

Conspiracy
by Bill Brown

User Reviews

Well filmed Examination of Life in Contemporary Northern England

Based loosely on the Oscar Wilde story, THE SELFISH GIANT is set in contemporary Bradford, north England, and focuses on the lives of two boys, both of whom are misfits. Arbor (Conner Chapman) cannot fit in to high school life, and prefers to spend his time collecting scrap metal to help his impoverished family. His friend Swifty (Shaun Thomas) is emotionally softer, but proves brilliant at dealing with the prize horse of local dealer Kitten (Sean Gilder). With its washed-out colors and lengthy shots focusing on a grim post-industrial landscape, Clio Barnard's film looks at life on the margins, where families quite literally have to sell everything in order to survive. Despite their hardships, Arbor and Swifty forge a close friendship - so close, in fact, that we are both shocked and moved when tragedy strikes at the end of the film. THE SELFISH GIANT has strong links to Ken Loach's KES in its portrayal of contemporary working-class culture. The dialog is harsh and uncompromising, while the two central performances are memorable. There are certain rough edges - Gilder's Kitten comes across as rather two-dimensional, while his wife Mary (Lorraine Ashbourne) is almost too good to be true - but the film is definitely worth watching more than once.