The Selfish Giant (2013)
89%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
12 wins & 21 nominations total
Starkly emotional and beautifully directed, The Selfish Giant uses a lovely script and some powerful performances to present some of the best that modern British cinema has to offer
The Selfish Giant” is a movie that will leave you feeling like you’ve been hit by a ton of bricks, but in a good way. The performances are incredible, and the story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It’s like a modern-day fairy tale, but instead of a happy ending, you get a realistic one. The cinematography is stunning, and the bleak landscape only adds to the overall feeling of despair. But don’t let that scare you away – there are moments of joy and hope that will make you smile through your tears. It’s a must-see for anyone who loves a good story, and isn’t afraid to feel all the feels.
Production Company(ies)
Piki Films, Defender Films, Curious Film
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 12.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Apr 29, 2014
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Conner Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder, Steve Evets, Lorraine Ashbourne, Siobhan Finneran, directed by Clio Barnard, written by Clio Barnard, drama, box office gross $10.5K, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Charlie Lyne, Evan Williams, Paul Byrnes, Tom Long, Tom Cassidy, Joanne Laurier, Mattie Lucas, C.J Prince, Daniel Green, Morgan Rojas, hyperactive boy, slow-witted youth, horses, scrap metal, emotional, British cinema, powerful performances, modern, gritty, postindustrial landscape, friendship, dependence, damage, desperation, Ken Loach, Andrea Dunbar, tragic, moving, adventure
Worldwide gross: $1,114,027
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,415,202
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,511
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 154,330
US/Canada gross: $12,189
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,484
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,808
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,589
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $3,289
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,833
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Shaun Thomas – Swifty
Sean Gilder – Kitten
Steve Evets – “Price Drop” Swift
Lorraine Ashbourne – Mary
Siobhan Finneran – Mrs. Swift
Director(s)
Clio Barnard
Writer(s)
Clio Barnard
Producer(s)
Tracy O’Riordan
Film Festivals
Sundance, Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
12 wins & 21 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (87) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (85) | Rotten (2)
It never feels particularly fresh, but it does feel real and true, is superbly performed, and it does pack quite an emotional punch. I had to gather myself afterwards, and I’m still gathering myself, and may be gathering myself for some time to come.
September 5, 2018
Deborah Ross
The Spectator
TOP CRITIC
Strong, beautiful and honest film-making.
September 6, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
metro.co.uk
TOP CRITIC
Though they share the same title, director Clio Barnard’s bewitching follow-up to The Arbor bears little cosmetic similarity to the fluorescent idyll of Oscar Wilde’s 19th century children’s fable.
August 18, 2015
Charlie Lyne
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Barnard’s film is charged with the same compassion and lyricism. It is one of those desperately sad and dispiriting films that one would prefer to forget but probably never will.
August 11, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/5
Evan Williams
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Barnard’s work with these two child actors is extraordinary, and she has written a lean script.
August 4, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
“The Selfish Giant” is a story of dependence, damage and desperation, told with grit and grimy frankness. It’s also a portrait of friendship born of need and emptiness, on the road to nowhere.
February 19, 2014 | Rating: B
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Director Clio Barnard has delivered a movie that’s excellently made but is in the end maybe a bit too suffocating to enjoy.
January 25, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Cassidy
Common Sense Media
With great empathy for her characters, Barnard locates her movie in a bleak, postindustrial landscape.
February 27, 2021
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
An assured and disciplined work, raw like a festering wound, and devastatingly blunt, establishing Barnard as one of the strongest voices in British independent cinema.
August 7, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Clearly inspired by Ken Loach’s films and the work of Andrea Dunbar (her subject for The Arbor), The Selfish Giant is a simple, tragic and ultimately moving work.
June 22, 2019 | Rating: 7.8/10
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
The Selfish Giant rejects the stark glumness of most recent neo-kitchen sink offerings in favour of childish adventure as Arbor and Swifty attempt to flesh out their respective futures.
March 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Daniel Green
CineVue
The Selfish Giant is a powerhouse of a film, a huge success as Clio Barnard’s first narrative.
January 30, 2019
Morgan Rojas
Cinemacy…
Plot
Two young boys start collecting scrap metal for a shady dealer in The Selfish Giant, a starkly emotional and beautifully directed drama that presents some of the best that modern British cinema has to offer.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about The Selfish Giant.
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