Les géants

During watching this film, I was a bit skeptical. It's true that some scenery shots are truly beautiful and some scenes are (supposed to be) funny. I find the humor is somewhat predictable, or it is just not my kind of humor. But I give this film a credit because one single message that comes over me. It came at the end of the movie.

The story tells a friendship among three teenagers, two of them are brothers. They are raised at an unlucky environment: lack attention of parents, an older brother who beats and sells and uses drugs. With their still naive view of the world, they try to have fun and survive.

The two brothers are left alone in their dead grandpa's house in a village. The parents seem not to care. They are having fun with a joyride in their grandpa's car, smoking joints and stealing food from the neighbor's cellar. So far so good, until they run out of money. They are told that they can earn money by renting the house for weed planting. From here things are gone wrong and they are forced to move out of the house with very little money. This is a recipe for a story: adventure, humorous and heartbreaking scenes.

The film did not succeed to intrigue me. It was somewhat predictable and it does not offer something new, in my opinion. Bit if you seek for an evening of good entertainment, this film would not disappoint you. It is 'light', but with a somewhat serious message. These young people finally choose adventure above security, a daring and exciting choice. Adventure into the wild, at the same time beautiful landscape. It's a symbol of growing up.

In a world where children have no parents, the canvas is empty and all is possible. Think:- Lord of the Flies, Huckleberry Finn, Harry Potter, even. Director Bouli Lanners has constructed a Garden of Eden so breathtakingly beautiful, you'll never want to leave. Two young teenage brothers (Zak and Seth) - both perfect performances - and their friend Dany, roam Belgium's unspoilt wilderness, populated by dense forests, lazy rivers, swaying waves of maize, and campfires at dusk. So far, so idyllic.

But they're here because they've been virtually abandoned by their uncaring mother. And lurking on the sidelines are gargoyles of criminals and psychotic drug dealers. Zak and Seth have no problem engaging with them: they know about drugs (real) and about sex (imagined) and they chafe at their childhood status. They burgle, cheat, drive cars and do deals with the underworld. They revel in their bravado; they're old before their time.

It's hard to see this ending well. But the journey getting there is utter magic. In particular, the scenes between the youngsters and the drug dealers are a masterpiece of silence and expression with tension on both sides. All to play for: so much to lose. And special mention too to the cinematographer Jean-Paul de Zaeytijd who depicts a world as fantastical and terrifying as any Grimm fairytale. In just about every respect, superb.

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.

I see there's quite a few comparisons here with "Stand By Me", and the 2 movies are comparable, but only to the extent that the main characters are young teenage boys. From there, the movies diverge quite a bit. This French movie is darker and enveloped by contemporary issues - especially neglect and drugs. "Les Geants" is beautifully photographed - its settings are pristine and its young stars are full of life and vitality. As is the case with many movies, pacing sometimes slows, and we're caught occasionally waiting for something to move the plot along. The ending is open-ended, and though not as good as Stand-by-Me, it is a worthy effort. 6.5/10

A coming of age story which was entertaining, and kept my attention. But, not enough suspension of disbelief for me. Otherwise I would have given it a higher rating.