I Kill Giants (2017)

 

Barbara Thorson is a fiercely independent teenager who spends most of her free time alone in the woods around her home.

This is not mere idly wandering, however: Barbara knows that her hometown is threatened by giants, violent supernatural beasts that are the true causes of many 'natural disasters' such as floods and earthquakes.  She has developed a number of traps and other defences to protect the town and its inhabitants from these dangers.

Barbara has no intention of sharing this with anyone else, however.  She knows they would not understand or accept it.  But then English exchange student Sophia joins her school, and resolutely refuses to accept Barbara's efforts to rebuff her friendship.

But letting people in is dangerous.  That's why Barbara was so reluctant to do it.  While accepting Sophia's friendship put the town in greater risk from the giants?  And what about the terrifying presence that lurks on the upstairs floor of Barbara's own home?

The elevator pitch for this film might be something like "Come for the giant-fighting action, stay for the thoughtful examination of grief and how we process it".  Because if you come just for the giant-fighting, you may be disappointed.  There is some of that, but - without spoiling too much - I think it is safe to say that the greatest dangers within Barbara's life are not necessarily the supernatural beasts she has dedicated so much time to thwarting.

I Kill Giants profits from a smart and thoughtful script that does a good job of keeping the question of 'how much of what Barbara believes is true?' open throughout the film.  I also loved the lushness of Barbara's mythological/zoological study of the giants. It's great, evocative, moody-setting stuff.  Excellent dark fantasy.

The film also profits from fine casting.  Madison Wolfe is very good in the main role, portraying Barbara with both fierceness and vulnerability.  It is easy to identify with her feelings of isolation and frustration as she wages a one-person fight to protect the town, despite being treated as something of a social outcast.  And Wolfe is ably supported by the best of the cast, who are also very good.

I wasn't quite sure what kind of movie I was going to see when I sat down to watch this; and I won't spoil the exact genre of film it is.  The most important thing, though, is that it's a good one.