Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

iNickR I heard about this Canadian gem a few years ago when it appeared on the festival circuit. Getting funding to make a film is a difficult task for many independent producers regardless of geography. Artists searching for funding in Canada face a monumental challenge. And if you're not in Toronto or Vancouver, it's damn near impossible! Regardless of how good your script is, unless you have a history or a name attached to your project, forget it. There isn't enough support for indie producers in Canada, which is why many beg, borrow and even steal to get their film made.I have a soft spot in my heart for Canadian films for this very reason. I'm adding this preface to my review because for a Canadian indie film, without a known director or actor attached, to make it to Cannes and TIFF (that, I think many would agree, are prestigious film festivals) is virtually unheard of. Clearly, then, there's something genuinely good about this movie. I enjoyed the interaction between the three main protagonists, although much of it seems ad-lib and not scripted, it fits nicely. It's genuine. It works. It seems less like a movie and more like I'm standing nearby watching this story unfold in person. Whether it was on purpose or not, it's brilliant. I felt for, and understood, the characters: the quiet introvert Adam who is clearly more comfortable in his skin around his lifelong friend, Taylor (a girl, but not his girlfriend); the bad boy Nate (a character I despise), whose jealousy of Adam becomes quite evident in one of the best scenes in the movie; and the unsettled Riley, who is trying to be a good kid but seems to fall victim to the antics of his cousin, Nate.The three boys spend the summer in "small town Ontario" doing what kids in small towns do during the summer: cause havoc and occasionally break the law (glad to see things haven't changed much since I was a kid). Much of the story follows Adam (Jackson Martin) and his budding friendship with Riley (Reece Moffett), a bond that Nate (Nick Serino) quickly grows jealous of. Nate and Riley are family, but is blood really thicker than water when it comes to the Sleeping Giant? The answer becomes regrettably clear.

Ken Having read the other reviews here, there is only one which I completely agree with. The signs are there if you look for them, but most people seem to have missed the fact that the Sleeping Giant is not only a teenager's anger, but perhaps moreso his sexuality beginning to burgeon with disastrous results. SPOILERS Where several other reviewers talk about a triangle of two teens wanting the same girl, in fact it is much more about one teen wanting his buddy but afraid to admit to it - and finding a way to discourage the girl from continuing her flirtation with the object of his affection (his buddy). There is one scene where his buddy says (I'm paraphrasing) "If you like someone you should tell them." and there is a second when he almost admits his love for the other boy... but we also understand that, when, in a later scene with his fathers "mistress", he says "There's something wrong with me" - it is really the admission that he has gay feelings. That other reviewers missed this doesn't surprise me; it is very nuanced in the telling, but any gay person will see the signs that others miss.As for the rest of the film, it is extremely well constructed, with so many moments of foreboding building to a climax that the tension is almost unbearable sometimes. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted, a gem.

sber-91551 Sleeping Giant is a hidden gem of a film, but its gift can only be experienced when you abandon commercial expectations and allow the film the requisite amount of time needed to transport you from a pre- conditioned cinematic abyss to an authentic time and place. Emotions penetrate through the barriers of the screen, capturing the viewer with both the acting and directing.I enjoyed it. Well done.Rating: 8/10

cecilbdedenis 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.