|
The Selfish Giant (2013) 7.3
Ratings:
7.3/10 from 7,749 users
Metascore: 83/100
Reviews: 36 user | 122 critic | 22 from Metacritic.com A contemporary fable about two scrappy 13-year-old working-class friends in the UK who seek fortune by getting involved with a local scrap dealer and criminal, leading to tragic consequences. Director:Clio Barnard |
| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
Top 25 Trivia Items From the Last 25 Years
Here are some amazing facts and figures to deepen your appreciation of the movies you love.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Related Items
Search for "The Selfish Giant" on Amazon.com
Share this Rating
Title: The Selfish Giant (2013)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
12 wins & 16 nominations.
See more awards »
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
The Arbor
(2010)
Documentary
|
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Clio Barnard
Stars:
Manjinder Virk,
Christine Bottomley,
Natalie Gavin
Starred Up
(2013)
Drama
Director:
David Mackenzie
Stars:
Jack O'Connell,
Ben Mendelsohn,
Rupert Friend
Ida
(2013)
Drama
Director:
Pawel Pawlikowski
Stars:
Agata Kulesza,
Agata Trzebuchowska,
Dawid Ogrodnik
Turist
(2014)
Drama
Director:
Ruben Östlund
Stars:
Johannes Kuhnke,
Lisa Loven Kongsli,
Clara Wettergren
Tyrannosaur
(2011)
Drama
Director:
Paddy Considine
Stars:
Peter Mullan,
Archie Lal,
Jag Sanghera
Deux jours, une nuit
(2014)
Drama
Directors:
Jean-Pierre Dardenne,
Luc Dardenne
Stars:
Marion Cotillard,
Fabrizio Rongione,
Catherine Salée
Leviathan
(2014)
Drama
Director:
Andrey Zvyagintsev
Stars:
Aleksey Serebryakov,
Elena Lyadova,
Roman Madyanov
Blue Ruin
(2013)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Jeremy Saulnier
Stars:
Macon Blair,
Devin Ratray,
Amy Hargreaves
Drama
Director:
Xavier Dolan
Stars:
Anne Dorval,
Antoine-Olivier Pilon,
Suzanne Clément
'71
(2014)
Action
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Yann Demange
Stars:
Jack O'Connell,
Sam Reid,
Sean Harris
Fish Tank
(2009)
Drama
Director:
Andrea Arnold
Stars:
Katie Jarvis,
Michael Fassbender,
Kierston Wareing
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Conner Chapman | ... |
Arbor
|
|
 |
Shaun Thomas | ... |
Swifty
|
| Ralph Ineson | ... | ||
| Ian Burfield | ... |
Mick Brazil
|
|
|
|
Everal Walsh | ... |
Railway Man
(as Everal A. Walsh)
|
| Sean Gilder | ... |
Kitten
|
|
| Lorraine Ashbourne | ... |
Mary
|
|
| Elliott Tittensor | ... |
Martin Fenton
|
|
|
|
Rebecca Manley | ... |
Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton
|
|
|
John Wall | ... |
School Nurse
|
|
|
Mohammed Ali | ... |
Mo
|
|
|
Jamie Michie | ... |
Teacher
|
| Steve Evets | ... |
'Price Drop' Swift
|
|
| Siobhan Finneran | ... |
Mrs. Swift
|
|
|
|
Bailey Clapham | ... |
Swift Child
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
An official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, The Selfish Giant is a contemporary fable about 13 year old Arbor (Conner Chapman) and his best friend Swifty (Shaun Thomas). Excluded from school and outsiders in their own neighborhood, the two boys meet Kitten (Sean Gilder), a local scrap dealer. Wandering their town with just a horse and a cart, they begin collecting scrap metal for him. Swifty has a natural gift with horses while Arbor emulates Kitten - keen to impress him and make some money. However, Kitten favors Swifty, leaving Arbor feeling hurt and excluded, driving a wedge between the boys. As Arbor becomes increasingly greedy and exploitative, tensions build, leading to a tragic event that transforms them all. Written by Sundance Selects
Genres:
DramaCertificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
25 October 2013 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Az önző óriás See more »Box Office
Opening Weekend:
$2,589 (USA) (20 December 2013)Gross:
$10,531 (USA) (3 January 2014)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Arbor: Yeah.
Policeman: A witness saw two youths burning railway or communications cable.
Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton: That's nowt to do with him.
Policeman: Cable theft is a very serious crime, Mrs. Fenton. Trespass on the railway is £1,000 fine.
Arbor: I ain't been on railway.
Policeman: Vandalism, endangering lives, maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton: He's just a kid. He ain't nicked no cable. You're looking at wrong place.
Policeman: He is, as you say, Mrs. Fenton, a minor. ...
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Clio Barnard based Arbor and Swifty on two children she met while filming The Arbor (2010) who worked as scrappers. See more »Quotes
Policeman: This is a formal interview under caution. Do you understand that, Fenton? Hey, do you understand?Arbor: Yeah.
Policeman: A witness saw two youths burning railway or communications cable.
Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton: That's nowt to do with him.
Policeman: Cable theft is a very serious crime, Mrs. Fenton. Trespass on the railway is £1,000 fine.
Arbor: I ain't been on railway.
Policeman: Vandalism, endangering lives, maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Michelle 'Shelly' Fenton: He's just a kid. He ain't nicked no cable. You're looking at wrong place.
Policeman: He is, as you say, Mrs. Fenton, a minor. ...
See more »
I saw this film at the Leiden film festival (LIFF) 2013. Two main characters Arbor (13 years old) and Swifty (15 years old), both played by unexperienced actors, make this movie rise above the story that in itself is not that spectacular, though the authors certainly intended it as social commentary. The working class environment, the poor neighborhood, the shady business where these two boys get themselves involved in, many people living together in small houses, and so on, it all provides for the perfect context to explain why these people do what they do. The only silver lining in this story is that Swifty proves to Kitten that he has his way with horses, and thus is allowed to prepare his best horse for the races. The remainder is depressing all over, but nevertheless a must-see, if only to observe a way of living that is insufficiently covered in newspapers and magazines.