THE SELFISH GIANT (Clio Barnard). 91 minutes. Opens Friday (January 24). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNNNN
The Selfish Giant takes its name from Oscar Wilde’s religious parable, but its real ancestry lies in director Clio Barnard’s previous work, 2010’s The Arbor.
Like that experimental documentary, Barnard’s new feature is set on a miserable housing estate in Bradford, in northern England, where impoverished families grind through miserable lives.
Thrown out of school for his violent outbursts and disrespectful behaviour, young Arbor (Conner Chapman) pulls his friend Swifty (Shaun Thomas) into scavenging metal – especially valuable copper cables – for local junkyard owner Kitten (Sean Gilder).
The incongruity of collecting scrap with a horse and cart, and Arbor and Swifty’s near-obliviousness to the cars trying to pass them on the road, are at once strange and lovely, reminding us that these are just kids barely cognizant of the crushing social structure in which they’re embedded. Other moments outside the city have an almost pastoral beauty hinting at the mystical themes of Wilde’s story.
Working with a mix of seasoned character actors and non-professional kids, Barnard creates a sense of a much larger community filtering in and out of this world. It’s a compelling “show, don’t tell” strategy blending drama and commentary in a manner worthy of Ken Loach at his peak. Go see this. It’s fantastic.
