If you've seen the trailer for this and thought it'd be a serial killer thriller type movie with a cerebral twist and a possible giant, you'll be very disappointed. This movie is nothing like the trailer--in fact the trailer's better. The film is very artsy and feels psychedelic, relying on its cinematography and decent acting over a coherent story. It's not a thriller at all, it's a drama about the summer after graduation and the main character's grieving process over her suicidal mother. There is a murder, but it's barely touched upon except in conversation here and there. There are a 1 or 2 suspenseful scenes but just when things get interesting there's a cut and the scene ends. Interesting in terms of production value but uneventful story-wise.
23 Reviews
Misleading Title
jmpu-5771531 May 2021
The entire time I kept thinking "is there a plot? Is there a damn point to this movie?" I can dig slow movies, but this just dragged. I found myself falling asleep constantly. What was this giant supposed to be? It only got interesting during the last 20 minutes of the film and even that left you with more questions than answers. Such a shame because the acting was okay.
great DoP, thanx, that's all.
glbgrb5 January 2022
Incoherent mess
Gordon-1124 December 2020
The lighting is consistently good, but everything else is just horrid. There is no story. The film is just a collection of incoherent scenes that doesn't explain anything. There are many scenes that are indulgent, and unrelated to the story, such as flowers, fireworks etc. I have absolutely no idea what happened in the film.
Colossal waste of time!
fzkjbnty18 November 2020
Without A Doubt The Worst Movie I've Ever Seen
oz_13_was_taken19 November 2020
"The Giant" is a teen drama without the drama. It has zero plot whatsoever. Just a bunch of sad teens wandering around not doing much of anything. The ending, if you can call it that, makes zero sense. This steaming heap of crap is just a bunch of random ideas thrown together. The worst part is, you can tell the movie thinks it's a lot smarter than it actually is. The dialogue is lame and not believable coming out of what's supposed to be a high school senior's mouth. It's filled with lines that a 15-year-old would write in a story, read back to himself, and think, "Man that's so deep." Avoid this movie at all costs and save your hour and 40 minutes.
Hmmmmm.
rotini-5258616 November 2020
Legitimately the worst movie EVER
nikkiflc24 November 2020
Does anyone know what happened? Was the writer/director in a bad acid trip? Seriously, the worst movie ever to have been filmed! Don't waste your time!!! No this review doesn't contain spoilers, that would mean there was a plot!!!
Not your average thriller
crystalst12 December 2020
This isn't the usual teen scream movie. It's not even your usual teen movie either. It's a disturbing, uncomfortable look into the psyche of one teen in a dead end town. It's stylish and well-done. It left me uncomfortable and wondering, and I enjoyed it and couldn't look away the entire movie.
Aww Jeez, REALLY???
elrushbo-7264629 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The $5.99 I spent on this movie forced me to watch past the 20th minute, ULTRA regretfully. 50 minutes in and I just want to follow the example of the protagonist's mom here and find the nearest noose. First off, I came from a small town; people I knew died, were murdered AND killed themselves. Yet NOBODY was ever as depressed and miserable and bored as literally every single character in this film. The murdered girls are the real heroes of this movie if you ask me! Or at least they provide the viewer with the most hope of getting OUT of this experience. They lead by example by disappearing altogether, and 75 minutes in I am now fully willing to follow them into a dark, watery grave somewhere in Georgia. Secondly, is it really that painful for the creators of this incoherent sludge to actually EXPLAIN any part of what's going on here? Must they make every scene twice as confusing and pointless as the previous? We're not talking Memento here, or Donnie Darko; there's nothing smart or entertaining with this movie, especially 100 minutes in! Did even one actor have the slightest clue about the script they were reading? Did the Director? What's happening here? Is this a nightmare? Have I been drugged? Who am I? What are you? When is this? And finally, how for why at where now?
Skillfully made. Not for everyone.
Maxi_Miller_823 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
It's telling that most of the negative reviews are by people who either didn't watch the film or didn't pay enough attention to review it fully. If you find a very ominous, sometimes slow and surreal style of film making repellant, simply don't watch it. Snarky non-reviews are useless. The film does in fact have a plot but the method of storytelling is non-linear or elliptical (deliberate gaps where you are supposed to jump to a conclusion by yourself).
The protagonist, Charlotte, is a 16 or 17 year old girl from rural Georgia. Her mother committed suicide around a year before the July events of the film which revolve around a group of teens who have just finished high school and like to drink/party, despite the looming spectre of "the giant", an unidentified serial killer who supposedly targets teen girls.
Charlotte was previously involved with an older boyfriend whom she met in 8th grade (~13 years old), Joe. It is heavily implied he is bad news (e.g. She dreams about being strangled and several friends warn her not to look for him) but she is still hung up on him and periodically fantasises about meeting up with him again - he abandoned her shortly after her mother died. She concludes he is, "Broken in ways I can't imagine." She drives around in the dark alone imagining he is still with her whilst glimpsing murder victims on their way somewhere in an identical truck. Charlotte comments that she can barely recognise him. He never appears in any scene with other characters, implying that he specifically haunts Charlotte during her fugue states. He pleads his innocence.
Charlotte visits her old home, dreaming about the day her mother hung herself and their final conversations. She loses time, sleeping for long periods and going missing from her friend group for days with no memory of where she has been. Her father, a state trooper struggles with depression and spends long hours out on the road. The summer air hangs heavy and thunderous rainstorms close in. The 35mm cinematography is very dark with highlights of neon colour or candle light, distorted and stretched during Charlotte's fugue states.
The story reaches a climax when Charlotte agrees to throw a birthday party for Olivia at the old house. Dialogue implies that they both witnessed Joe doing something bad exactly one year ago at a nearby location, down by the water where they swim. The gang drinks too much, become edgy, then rush out into the storm as if confronting the mythic "giant" figure in the dark. Charlotte is left alone with Joe, or a vision of Joe, appearing in the shadows. She struggles to decipher reality.
"I can't tell whether I remember it or whether I was dreaming." "What's the difference?"
In Joe's final appearance he is badly beaten and bloody. His guitar mysteriously appears, linking back to a scene where his house is empty and his smashed car abandoned by a field of tall grass. There is a preceding scene which shows a candle lit vigil for a string of murder victims and Charlotte's father apologises to her for ignoring her before explaining that Daphne's boyfriend (Brady) has confessed to stabbing her 44 times while high, linking back to an early scene where Charlotte notices the couple together with their car covered in blood. Her father expresses despair at the pointlessness of the killing.
The ending, chasing after Olivia into the fields to be met by the shadow of the giant, implies that most of what we have previously witnessed is a sort of memory-dream fusion where Charlotte is stuck in a state of purgatory with various victims including her friends Daphne, Joe and Olivia. She comes to accept her exit from home, whether it is literal or into some kind of dream of death.
The giant, rather than a specific person, seems to be a grim reaper figure that looms over the town inspiring deranged acts of violence or nightmares. Various traumas merge into one dark landscape. Due to her unreliable and confused narration of the story, it is not clear what has actually happened to Charlotte, but if (similar to films like 'The Lovely Bones') she turned out to be the ghost of a murdered girl looking back on her life as it fades away, this would make sense. The unexplained aspect of the plot is probably there in order to encourage audiences to empathise directly with Charlotte and not attempt to rationalise her experience of a dark dream.
The protagonist, Charlotte, is a 16 or 17 year old girl from rural Georgia. Her mother committed suicide around a year before the July events of the film which revolve around a group of teens who have just finished high school and like to drink/party, despite the looming spectre of "the giant", an unidentified serial killer who supposedly targets teen girls.
Charlotte was previously involved with an older boyfriend whom she met in 8th grade (~13 years old), Joe. It is heavily implied he is bad news (e.g. She dreams about being strangled and several friends warn her not to look for him) but she is still hung up on him and periodically fantasises about meeting up with him again - he abandoned her shortly after her mother died. She concludes he is, "Broken in ways I can't imagine." She drives around in the dark alone imagining he is still with her whilst glimpsing murder victims on their way somewhere in an identical truck. Charlotte comments that she can barely recognise him. He never appears in any scene with other characters, implying that he specifically haunts Charlotte during her fugue states. He pleads his innocence.
Charlotte visits her old home, dreaming about the day her mother hung herself and their final conversations. She loses time, sleeping for long periods and going missing from her friend group for days with no memory of where she has been. Her father, a state trooper struggles with depression and spends long hours out on the road. The summer air hangs heavy and thunderous rainstorms close in. The 35mm cinematography is very dark with highlights of neon colour or candle light, distorted and stretched during Charlotte's fugue states.
The story reaches a climax when Charlotte agrees to throw a birthday party for Olivia at the old house. Dialogue implies that they both witnessed Joe doing something bad exactly one year ago at a nearby location, down by the water where they swim. The gang drinks too much, become edgy, then rush out into the storm as if confronting the mythic "giant" figure in the dark. Charlotte is left alone with Joe, or a vision of Joe, appearing in the shadows. She struggles to decipher reality.
"I can't tell whether I remember it or whether I was dreaming." "What's the difference?"
In Joe's final appearance he is badly beaten and bloody. His guitar mysteriously appears, linking back to a scene where his house is empty and his smashed car abandoned by a field of tall grass. There is a preceding scene which shows a candle lit vigil for a string of murder victims and Charlotte's father apologises to her for ignoring her before explaining that Daphne's boyfriend (Brady) has confessed to stabbing her 44 times while high, linking back to an early scene where Charlotte notices the couple together with their car covered in blood. Her father expresses despair at the pointlessness of the killing.
The ending, chasing after Olivia into the fields to be met by the shadow of the giant, implies that most of what we have previously witnessed is a sort of memory-dream fusion where Charlotte is stuck in a state of purgatory with various victims including her friends Daphne, Joe and Olivia. She comes to accept her exit from home, whether it is literal or into some kind of dream of death.
The giant, rather than a specific person, seems to be a grim reaper figure that looms over the town inspiring deranged acts of violence or nightmares. Various traumas merge into one dark landscape. Due to her unreliable and confused narration of the story, it is not clear what has actually happened to Charlotte, but if (similar to films like 'The Lovely Bones') she turned out to be the ghost of a murdered girl looking back on her life as it fades away, this would make sense. The unexplained aspect of the plot is probably there in order to encourage audiences to empathise directly with Charlotte and not attempt to rationalise her experience of a dark dream.
Ballad of a small town girl
portal179017 April 2021
Delightful Indie Horror. Underrated Beautifully well done horror I've seen in a while . Great cinematography and perfect casting. A Ballad of a small town girl I would say. David Raboy did a surprisingly good art Horror Movie.
If I could give it zero, I would.
therealjaysmoke20 May 2021
Might be the most boring movie ever made...
realityinmind16 December 2020
Watching this movie is like watching water boil.... hell, it is like watching water evaporate. Like, if you stared at a puddle of water in the summer and watched it until the water evaporated in the sun. This movie is that boring. Who greenlit this crap?? Also, the lighting is too dark. Was the budget so low that they couldn't afford electricity? Absolute CRAP.
...because zero stars was not an option....
shjones-1741510 January 2023
Top 5 worst movies I've ever seen.... maybe it's because I don't get white teenaged too cool for school dialect, or don't identify with wannabe artsy fartsy try hard films, trying too hard to be edgy and mysterious, but after 1 hour of aimless dialogue and still no plot or story, I burst out laughing at every attempt by actors to sell the movie.
This movie is bad. Historically bad. No idea how it made it to the screen without somebody involved sheepishly admitting that the emporer has no clothes.... I'm ashamed I watched the whole thing, and still couldn't answer the basic question as to why anyone would watch this.
I thought about trying to rationalize what some of this tripe was meant to be in my review, but I'm getting angry just recalling anything about it, so I gave up and decided instead to just warn all to stay far away from this.... you're welcome.
This movie is bad. Historically bad. No idea how it made it to the screen without somebody involved sheepishly admitting that the emporer has no clothes.... I'm ashamed I watched the whole thing, and still couldn't answer the basic question as to why anyone would watch this.
I thought about trying to rationalize what some of this tripe was meant to be in my review, but I'm getting angry just recalling anything about it, so I gave up and decided instead to just warn all to stay far away from this.... you're welcome.
What?
salenar12 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I saw several reviews referring to drugs when it came to this movie. I don't indulge in those type of things but I did have a glass of wine to try and get into the headspace. This movie drags, tremendously. To me, and I'm not sure if it's right, but I believe this movie is about a murder, suicide that has taken place. I have no idea what the giant represents other than maybe the storm that was always heading their way and finally reached them towards the end of the summer. I assume the murderer is "Joe" but it could also be the main character " Charlotte". Who knows. Maybe I should have had 2 glasses of wine to understand clearly.
It's unique!
andretingtang21 April 2021
The main reason I watch this s Odessa. Well, some people maybe boring watch this kind of movie, but not me. I always intriqued with unique and 'different' camera's angle works. It's different from ussual thriller kind of movie. If you have spare time and want to wacth something unique, just give it a try. Did I mention Odessa Young?
Umm... what?
MissEFierro9 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.
I kept waiting for the story to happen but they tell you nothing whatsoever. I came to the reviews to see if anyone had any insight but nope. I only watched because of Ben Schnetzer, and the few instances he was on screen were good but who the heck was he? What was his role, I guess the killer but then there was no killer? I'm not even interested enough to be confused because nothing happened.
Is she dead, are her friends? They're laughing and talking one minute then silent and still the next for no reason. It's just a total mess of a movie that thinks it's being smart by not telling you anything about it at all.
I kept waiting for the story to happen but they tell you nothing whatsoever. I came to the reviews to see if anyone had any insight but nope. I only watched because of Ben Schnetzer, and the few instances he was on screen were good but who the heck was he? What was his role, I guess the killer but then there was no killer? I'm not even interested enough to be confused because nothing happened.
Is she dead, are her friends? They're laughing and talking one minute then silent and still the next for no reason. It's just a total mess of a movie that thinks it's being smart by not telling you anything about it at all.
Very unusual enjoyable film
xsagaroth16 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I can't help but feel that most of this film is actually a dream (note the truck she is in at the beginning and end are the same, they even reference "do dreams carry on while I'm awake").
The interactions with the ex-boyfriend I enjoyed a great deal the sleepy dialogue, the echoing audio the blurred imagery again feeling like it's a dream.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film if you like something that isn't a cookie cutter clone of 100's of other films would strongly recommend giving this a watch.
The interactions with the ex-boyfriend I enjoyed a great deal the sleepy dialogue, the echoing audio the blurred imagery again feeling like it's a dream.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film if you like something that isn't a cookie cutter clone of 100's of other films would strongly recommend giving this a watch.
The hottest garbage that I have ever not seen
bigtastyespinoza14 November 2020
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