Sleeping Giant (2015)

People are voting emotionally.

Good movie but grossly overrated

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Blistering performances.

During the summer in a resort area on the northern Ontario shore of Lake Superior, three boys in their early teens hang out together. They include Adam, a quiet boy from a well-off family; Riley a tough boy who lives in a modest home with his grandmother; and Nate, Riley's equally tough cousin who is staying with Riley and their grandmother during the summer.Knowing that this was yet another boys-coming-of-age movies, my first reaction was "Good God, not ANOTHER one"! But there are some films in this category that stand out among the (seemingly) thousands of others. "Sleeping Giant" is one of them. For one thing, Adam does not go along with the hyper-macho talk of the other boys or the milder macho talk coming from his father. There are more than a few hints that Adam might be gay.The first half is rather difficult. Nate is so viciously mean-spirited and bullying that the viewer can feel dragged through an endurance test. This is partly because of the accuracy of the portrayal of teenaged bullies. While it is more than tempting to wish Nate harm due to his meanness, these feelings change in the second half when major dramatic turns take place.Feelings come to the surface during a board-game. This sequence is powerful for many reasons. One is that it is so true-to-life with one character acting as an inconsistent rule enforcer.The drama that follows is compelling and moving thus making the tough slogging of the first half well worth the experience. There are other fine characterizations as well including Adam's father who is trying to be a father while also trying to appear "cool" to the teenagers.

This is not the first 'coming of age' film, nor will it be the last. It is however a refreshing take on this familiar theme.The film is a slow build, that covers a summer in what is Canada's 'cottage country' but could be anywhere in North America, but for some minor nationalisms. Cinematography nicely celebrates the wilderness, while the editing nicely mimics the YouTube aesthetic that informs much of today's youth media.This is a particularly, almost entirely, male vision of coming of age. The three young male leads are credible and familiar -- struggling to present themselves as adult, unsure of how to assert their masculinity, the role models they observe are flawed or absent. One of the three has a father; he reveals himself to be cad. Another has been abandoned to his grandmother by parents who are absent emotionally and physically. The third is revealed to have lost his father to suicide. They turn to a local man, himself trapped in adolescence despite his age -- but though his routine of video games, pot smoking and petty crime amuses, even the boys recognize the essential hollowness of his life.Women in this story are thinly drawn: the mother that still sees her son as a child; the grandmother that can but dote; the 'girlfriend' whose own budding sexuality has her as confused as the boys; the mistress ... Ultimately and interestingly, the story is often summarized as of the struggle between two of the boys for the attention of the girl. But this is only partially, and not entirely, true.There are many struggles at work in this film. Two of the boys are 'from away' -- and anyone with cottage country experience understands immediately that dynamic. The one boy who lives full time in the region knows himself to be an outsider to the modern world, which is revealed to him only through the internet and movies, often porn. There is a material class conflict at play, with those that enjoy beach front summer homes and those that support this industry. There is the struggle of success at education -- ultimately the trigger that begins the final tragic act begins with a snub of one boy's 'school smarts' or lack there-of. And there is the struggle for sexual satisfaction.Interestingly, the sexual angle is not a simple triangle. Or better put, it is, but not the one expected. The competition for the girl is actually much more sophisticated in the filmmakers execution, and is never fully revealed as some reviewers simplify. In fact, there is as much suggestion that there is a sexual struggle between the boys for one another. The 'girl' is well positioned to be a barrier to the homoerotic yearnings of the star as she is to be the reward. The protagonist is struggling with his friend's attachment to the girl -- but is it because he's losing the boy, or the girl? Smartly, the film leaves the question unresolved. And hints that the character himself is undecided ...The film is well acted by amateurs, or better put the director pulls very convincing performances from inexperienced talent. The narrative is informed by a believable view of the dynamics at work between young-old, wealthy-poor, city-country, male-female. A promising first effort, I'll keep my eye open for more from this director.

"Sleeping Giant" is a low-key Canadian film that builds to an explosive climax; even if sensitive coming of age stories tend to give you the indie fidgets, I'd still recommend this one. It does start out slowly, with improv'd ensemble scenes (quite convincing), standard montages of teenagers doing carefree teenage stuff and gorgeous shots of the Lake Superior shoreline. The POV character, Adam, is too shy and passive to generate much storyline on his own—how many kids like that grow up make indie films?, I wonder—though the shaky family dynamic is laid out very nicely: A scene where Adam's well intentioned but clumsy dad urges him to start something with his childhood friend, Taylor—now a lovely young woman who's caught the eye of one of Adam's bad-boy cousins—signals clearly that Dad may be up to something himself… These and a few more wispy, unresolved subplots don't build up much momentum till the final scenes, beginning with a teenage tantrum that busts up a family Monopoly game… (I know, pretty Canadian, eh?) Great performances by the teenage principals, esp. first-time actor Nick Serino as another bad-boy cousin, Nate, the tantrum thrower. Not essential, but still quite watchable and available on streaming Netflix—otherwise how would we ever get to see it?

I watched this film to the end even though it was as excruciating as reading Hemingway."It's Canadian; it's art," I repeatedly told myself. No, it's simply a badly made film. A boring narrative of three unremarkable teenage boys, two of whom need major orthodontic overhauls, bored out of their trees during summer vacation.The scenes are as disjointed as the knee I keep throwing out and the film's closing credits appear from out of nowhere.Don't waste your time. Bad acting, amateurish photography, terrible script.