Later, Sophia is approached by Taylor who promises to tell her a secret about Barbara if Sophia will show them some of the "freaky things" Barbara does. Sophia expresses an interest in getting to know Barbara, but Barbara initially remains aloof. Upon arriving, she witnesses a scene of destruction. Believing that giants from other worlds are coming to attack her hometown, she spends her days creating weapons and traps to fend off the creatures. I'm willing to tell the ones who need help though, there are different ways to beat b7-10, without even having any natural 4* monsters. Would it seem real? Her elder sister, Karen (Imogen Poots), fixes her meals at night. [4] Treehouse would fully finance the film, while XYZ would handle the international sales. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. We won't share this comment without your permission. Enjoy the Black Harvest Film Festival at Home, The Awareness of Sound Itself: Filmmakers Behind Sound of Metal on Bringing the Audience Inside the Character's Hearing Loss, Ambition is the Antagonist: Sean Durkin on The Nest. I Kill Giants. Does fantasy violence have a different impact than realistic violence? Saldana, playing against type (she's usually a fierce heroine), is caring in her supporting role as Barbara's counselor. But there is no question of us, the audience, finding them scary or dramatic in the sense that Barbara does, because naturally we understand immediately that they are delusional fantasies, part of Barbara’s troubled way of life that has got her bullied at school for being a weirdo. The giant snatches her up, and draws her close to its head, so she can strike it down with Coveleski. Peter Bradshaw @PeterBradshaw1. Of course not. Ses journées au collège sont rythmées par ses allers-retours entre le bureau du proviseur et celui de la psychologue. Is there a difference between how "difficult" girls are portrayed or perceived vs. how boys with the same attributes are? Anders Walter would make his feature film directing debut. “I Kill Giants” is the feature debut of Anders Walter, who has a reasonably deft hand with both fantastic and realistic elements, although for the latter he tends to steep his frame in gray to the extent that it weakens his climactic sequence, which, of course, takes place during a seaside thunderstorm of immense ferocity. This concoction, we soon learn, is “Giant Bait.”. Suddenly, a giant appears out of the water. In a daze, she is startled by Sophia and strikes her, causing Taylor and her friends -who witnessed it- to laugh. Barbara heads to her sanctuary upon discovering that she still can’t use Coveleski, where she prays for the return of her weapon. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here. Sophia begins to doubt Barbara’s claims about the giants. Graphic, illustrated description of different kinds of giants and how dangerous they are. Photograph: Allstar/1492 Pictures. Sophia agrees, leading Taylor and friends to the sanctuary, where they proceed to dismantle many of Barbara's traps. The film stars Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade, Rory Jackson, Art Parkinson, Noel Clarke, Jennifer Ehle and Zoe Saldana . With Madison Wolfe, Zoe Saldana, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade. They share heartfelt messages and Barbara apologizes for avoiding her. Sophia arrives just as Barbara is leaving. The film stars Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade, Rory Jackson, Art Parkinson, Noel Clarke, Jennifer Ehle and Zoe Saldana. Adolescente solitaire et différente des autres, Barbara est en conflit permanent avec son entourage. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Audiences will care about her journey. They are somewhat formidable but also a tad familiar. They’re magical.”. Barbara ignores her. How would you have responded in Barbara's situation? They drop these things when they’ve done what they needed to do.”. One girl bullies/hits another girl, who hits back. Barbara Thorson is a young, independent teenager who lives with her brother and supportive older sister, Karen. In the basement, Sophia discovers a recording of Barbara and her mother telling the story of Coveleski’s “Giant Killer” nickname. Barbara swims back to the beach, where she reunites with Sophia. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Barbara stands against it, and draws forth the restored Coveleski from her handbag, revealing a massive, glowing war hammer. Barbara is shocked at the state of her weapon, and is beaten by Taylor and her friends. I Kill Giants is the story of a young girl dealing with personal tragedy along with all the normal pains of adolescence. And of course Sophia is curious too. Sophia explains that Taylor wrecked the area as revenge for what Barbara did and that she tried to stop her. But this explanation is coyly withheld from us through a dishonest narrative fudge until the virtually the last moment, creating fake mystery and fake jeopardy. Enfin, et ce n'est peut être qu'un détail, mais Niimura apporte aussi un soin à l'expressivité de ses personnages, et l'utilisation du reflet ou non des lunettes de Barbara fait partie de ces petites choses qui apportent toute leur dimension émotionnelle à I Kill Giants. Zoe Saldana plays her superciliously sorrowing school counsellor, Mrs Mollé. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. “Adults find ways to cope that are unhealthy,” she adds. See our. Barbara has created a fantasy world inspired by her love of Dungeons & Dragons and the career of former Phillies pitcher, Harry Coveleski. Barbara also lashes out at a teacher (whom she slaps) and her lone true friend. Winningly edgy teen-angst sci-fi tragicomedy. [5] Wolfe was cast in the film after a search through 500 actors. She is visited by Harbingers who taunt her, telling her that she is too weak to defeat a giant. Barbara ignores her. “They drink, they do drugs, they have sex, shopping, gambling. “That’s why I love working with youth. Laying injured upon the beach, the giant reveals that he came for Barbara, not her mother. A confrontation between Barbara and a group of bullies led by Taylor is interrupted by Barbara being called by the school psychologist, Mrs. Mollé. Approached on a nearby beach by Sophia (Sydney Wade), a transplant from Leeds, England, Barbara pays back curiosity with rudeness before allowing that Sophia has a pretty name. I Kill Giants Fifth Anniversary Edition TP May 7, 2014. In a daze, she is startled by Sophia and strikes her, causing Taylor and her friends -who witnessed it- to laugh. ( Log Out /  She proceeds to defeat the giant with it, fueled by her wrath that it came for her mother. Barbara, who's being cared for by her put-upon older sister, Karen (Imogen Poots), during this hard time, believes that dangerous giants threaten humanity's existence and that she alone is capable of slaying them. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. “They lose a lot of creativity. Our ratings are based on child development best practices. Although she’s not particularly keen on sharing her enthusiasms. Barbara has created a fantasy world inspired by her love of Dungeons & Dragons and the career of former Phillies pitcher, Harry Coveleski. Barbara angrily storms off. Though Barbara tries to apologize, Sophia runs off, upset. When Mrs. Mollé learns about Barbara's interest in baseball, she asks about it, causing Barbara to become lost in bad memories and to run home. Barbara (Madison Wolfe), the teen girl and the heroine of this movie, adapted from a 2008 comic book that was subsequently anthologized into a graphic novel, lives in a house crowded by obnoxious videogame obsessed brothers and presided over by older sister Karen (Imogen Poots) at first registers to viewers as a particularly avid devotee of D&D-style role-playing games. She plays Dungeons & Dragons, after all. ( Log Out /  Sophia leaves and finds Barbara, telling her that all of the giants are in her head, and asks Barbara why she never told Sophia about her mother, though Barbara shuts out the question and is unable to hear it. Sophia takes Barbara to her home to recover. “I Kill Giants” is the feature debut of Anders Walter, who has a reasonably deft hand with both fantastic and realistic elements, although for the latter he tends to steep his frame in gray to the extent that it weakens his climactic sequence, which, of course, takes place during a seaside thunderstorm of immense ferocity. The next day, Barbara climbs upstairs to see her mother, who lies dying in her bed. In the opening scene of this movie, a teenage girl walks around in a gray-blue forest, seeking something. I Kill Giants is easier to admire than enjoy. It says to run from death is to reject life, and that she must find joy in every moment while she can. Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. [6], Principal photography on the film began on September 27, 2016. The giant snatches her up, and draws her close to its head, so she can strike it down with Coveleski. She finds it—a clump of mushrooms growing at the foot of a thick tree. Families can talk about how violence is depicted in I Kill Giants. Sophia leaves and finds Barbara, telling her that all of the giants are in her head, and asks Barbara why she never told Sophia about her mother. What are some of your favorite page-to-screen adaptations? Explores difficulty, complexity of grief and dealing with loss. It is based on a graphic novel by Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura and directed by the Danish film-maker Anders Walter, who won an Oscar in 2014 for his short film Helium. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. Barbara interrupts and draws Coveleski, which turns out to be a small animal's jawbone tied to a stick. "awkward freak. How would you deal?’ She was my R&D department for Mrs. Molle/Barbara and helped provide verisimilitude.”. Do you consider any of the characters role models? “I ran all this stuff by her: ‘Have you met a kid going through this? Sophia agrees, leading Taylor and friends to the sanctuary, where they proceed to dismantle many of Barbara’s traps. (It’s a spoiler, but trust us, you don’t want to know before seeing it. Usually, they’re aged in the “single-digits,” while Barbara is in middle school. According to experts like Dr. Victoria E. Kress, children like Barbara use their imaginations to deal with stress in lieu of logic and experience they find in adulthood. I Kill Giants is a 2017 fantasy drama film directed by Anders Walter with a screenplay by Joe Kelly, based on Kelly and Ken Niimura's graphic novel of the same name. Barbara labeled as difficult -- and she's definitely impetuous and reckless -- but also courageous, feels things quite deeply. On the first night of school, she is awoken by the giant, who stands in the ocean, watching her. I think that would look good on so many teenagers and adults, but sadly we lose that when we age.”, Though a professional for over two decades, Dr. Kress doesn’t hesitate to use words like “magical” to describe children, her favorite subject. Fri 6 Apr 2018 06.00 EDT. There's some language (including "s--t" and "bitch") and moments that may be particularly difficult for families who've experienced loss and/or terminal illness. Barbara leaves the ensuing meeting abruptly, declaring that their talk would just distract her from her preparations to battle a giant. After the summer break, Barbara’s mother dies, but Barbara rekindles her relationships with Mrs. Mollé, Karen and Sophia. Lying injured upon the beach, the giant reveals that he came for Barbara, not her mother. She really believes that the ratty purse she clutches to herself as she navigates, or fails to navigate, the banal troubles waiting around the corner of every school corridor, actually contains a giant-smiting storm hammer. A storyteller with no one to tell stories to, Barbara routinely escapes her unhappy home life and into a fantasy where she protects everyone from large, destructive humanoids. Out this weekend in a limited theatrical release and video-on-demand, I Kill Giants turns a psychological phenomenon into an emotional, titan-slaying epic. Later, Barbara explains the mythology behind the giants to Sophia. I Kill Giants #2 Sep 10, 2008. ", Strong language is mostly insults and exclamations such as "bitch," "goddamn," "mental," "total d--ks," "what the hell," "damn," "ass," "s--t," "nerd," "crap," "Jesus!" November 12, 2020. Why? Related News. (The town in which Barbara and family live is never named, although a radio report late in the film locates the storm’s vicinity as “Long Island.”) The source material of this movie pre-dates the novel on which the recent picture “A Monster Calls” is based, and the similarities between the two storylines are expanded upon what I’ve already revealed as the movie progresses. She is visited by Harbingers who taunt her, telling her that she is too weak to defeat a giant. The whole movie is a metaphor for ... you find out if you watch it. ( Log Out /  [5] On September 10, 2016, Imogen Poots was confirmed to star in the film. After putting the red mold into a plastic bottle filled with red liquid, she puts in a Gummi Bear as well. When Barbara wakes, she becomes very upset at being brought upstairs, and tells Sophia to slowly move away, before “it” sees her. The website's critical consensus reads, "I Kill Giants' moody magical realism sometimes slips into the mundane, but impressive CGI and a powerhouse performance by Madison Wolfe pack an unexpected punch. Think of the film as a pop culture confluence where Harry Potter meets A Monster Calls meets Zero Charisma meets Scott Pilgrim vs.The World, each … This fantasy drama is a well-acted, moving tale of how an imaginative girl handles life-changing family trauma. “I just started processing, looking at my daughter, imagining what it might be like [to leave her].”. Latest; Trending; I Kill Giants. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Stoke kids' love of reading with great summer stories, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews, Which Side of History? This trashy family fantasy – in which a lonely girl hunts giants in a handily creepy forest – confuses fake jeopardy with drama, Fri 6 Apr 2018 11.00 BST She hides in the trains, but is hunted by the giant. A sympathetic school psychologist, new to the gig, Mrs. Mollé, is making it her job to find out. With Madison Wolfe, Zoe Saldana, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade. Sophia looks into one of the bedrooms and drops a glass of water in shock before fleeing the house. Empathy is a theme. “When their father was sick, [they] retreated into a fantasy world that was all about pop stars, and their relationship to pop stars,” he said. Is it necessary for the story? © Common Sense Media. In the meantime, the giants appear to both Barbara and the audience. “The genesis of the story came from my father,” explains Kelly in a phone interview with Inverse. At least, that’s what she believes in her head. Dr. Kress says humans rely on learned experience to cope with stress. Barbara angrily storms off. After the summer break, Barbara's mother dies, but Barbara rekindles her relationships with Mrs. Mollé, Karen and Sophia. Expect several scenes of violence, from fistfights, bullying, and beatings to a gory close-up of a bloody dead animal and a destructive battle with a giant while a storm rages.