Winner of the Best Canadian First Feature at Tiff and Best Canadian Feature in Vancouver after bowing at Cannes last May, Andrew Cividino‘s feature-length debut Sleeping Giant has earned itself a pretty impeccable pedigree. An expansion of his 2013 short film of the same name, this coming-of-age drama on the summer shores of Thunder Bay, Ontario is a universal tale for viewers of all nationalities. With the time period left ambiguous—cell phones aren’t used and the one video camera seen in this cottage community still uses cassette tapes—it resonates with all ages too, calling back to memories of youthful malaise and rambunctious rebellion. And it pulls no punches as far as love, sex, drugs, or jealousy are concerned. “Fun” possesses many definitions, but even more consequences.
The story surrounds Adam Hudson (Jackson Martin), the only child of a family that’s frequented the retreat for many years.
The story surrounds Adam Hudson (Jackson Martin), the only child of a family that’s frequented the retreat for many years.
- 6/29/2016
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Sleeping Giant
Directed by Andrew Cividino
Screenplay by Andrew Cividino, Blain Watters and Aaron Yeger
2015, Canada
Sleeping Giant should be a crowd pleaser, especially in Canada, since it is always an auspicious occasion when a new Canadian director’s feature is well received at Cannes and Tiff. Sleeping Giant is well written, technically proficient and kinetically paced. It takes on the ticking time bomb of childhood’s transition from a fun and fancy-free summer to a tragic realization of the lost sense of self in the shadow of adulthood. Too bad I can’t help but respond to the film with a half-hearted shrug.
A coming of age tale of three teenage boys — Adam, Nate, and Riley — on summer vacation, its themes of fragile friendship, family, and romance feel like knocking low-hanging fruit off the branch. While it does capture the awkward tension of the tenuous bonds between 15-year-old boys,...
Directed by Andrew Cividino
Screenplay by Andrew Cividino, Blain Watters and Aaron Yeger
2015, Canada
Sleeping Giant should be a crowd pleaser, especially in Canada, since it is always an auspicious occasion when a new Canadian director’s feature is well received at Cannes and Tiff. Sleeping Giant is well written, technically proficient and kinetically paced. It takes on the ticking time bomb of childhood’s transition from a fun and fancy-free summer to a tragic realization of the lost sense of self in the shadow of adulthood. Too bad I can’t help but respond to the film with a half-hearted shrug.
A coming of age tale of three teenage boys — Adam, Nate, and Riley — on summer vacation, its themes of fragile friendship, family, and romance feel like knocking low-hanging fruit off the branch. While it does capture the awkward tension of the tenuous bonds between 15-year-old boys,...
- 10/2/2015
- by Josh Hamm
- SoundOnSight
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