As I began to watch this wonderful film, I thought more of ' The Night of the Hunter, ' the only film directed by the justly famous actor Charles Laughton. In his film two children are escaping down the river which is a mythical symbol in itself. We are all going down the river of life, but when young it is an adventure and a search for freedom. Freedom from the injustices and terrors of the adult world, and in ' The Giants ' there is a lot to escape from. We begin with two lost children in a house where their grandfather has died, and their elusive mother for some unknown reason does not come to rescue them. They meet a neighbouring child who is in a brutal family situation and the three of them take on the giant task of leaving their worlds behind them. And we for a short while experience their adventures, their failures and their attempts at being adults themselves. I say children but they are in their early teenage years, and to show off to each other they play adult games, and very playfully talk of sexuality in the crudest way possible, and generally ( and innocently ) misbehave. They are boys who imitate the ways of men, and it is a moving experience to watch them. I loved this film immediately. I loved its poetry, and its sheer beauty of direction, plus the brilliant performances of our three ' giant ' heroes, and their fight against those who oppress them. I rate it as being one of the finest films so far of this troubled 21st Century.
