The Selfish Giant

Synopsis: 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.
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Clio Barnard
Production: Sundance Selects
  12 wins & 18 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.3
Metacritic:
83
Rotten Tomatoes:
97%
NOT RATED
Year:
2013
91 min
$12,189
Website
439 Views


Can't stand you!

Bastard!

- Chill out.

It's me.

- Calm down, Arbor.

- F***ing get off!

- Just chill.

Arbor.

- Get off!

Get off!

- Arbor, it's me.

It's Swifty.

- Chill out.

You're off your head, you,

aren't you?

F***ing mad head, you.

Gonna come out?

- Want some?

- Yeah.

Here.

- Friends.

- Friends.

- What are them torches

down there?

- Is that railway

people or pol-

- Sh*t. Get down.

Get down.

What are they doing?

- F*** knows.

Should I go have a look?

- No, wait here.

I want to see what

they're doing.

- Come on, we'll go look.

- Go on, then.

Oh, sh*t.

- Yeah.

I'm almost there, yeah.

Yeah.

Tools.

Definitely.

Get some of your boys

down here now, yeah?

- Oy! F*** off!

- Hey!

Hey!

- Go, go, go!

- You thieving little bastards!

- Let us in!

- Oh, he's coming now.

He's got a big ax.

- We're not open yet!

Who the f*** are you?

What do you want?

Is that my-

What the f*** are you doing

with my f***ing horse?

- What's that?

Where'd you get that?

- It's cable.

We found it.

- Oh, yeah?

Get off my f***ing horse!

Take it inside.

- Would you put the ax down?

What the hell's going on?

- Found these two at the gate

with Tommy.

- We lent him,

went for a ride for a laugh.

Didn't know he were your horse.

He were tethered up

in that field.

We got you some cable, though,

don't we?

- Right, bring it in here.

- What?

- It's all right.

- Away, lad.

- Come on. Simba!

Come on!

Every twat knows,

you've got to strip it

before I can take it

'cause the number on casing.

See that?

Bright wire.

- You burn it off

if it's marked.

- What do you mean "marked"?

- That's what I mean, marked.

Look at yous.

All over you.

Hands.

- How did we get that?

- SmartWater.

Don't ever come back here

with that shite on you.

Out.

Here.

Go on.

- We'll strip it next time.

Do it proper.

Burn it off.

- There won't be a next time.

Now f*** off.

- You lot, up.

F***ing hell.

Have one

of your little freak-outs

last night, spazzy boy?

- F*** off, you crackhead.

Tell you what.

This is the first night

I've not seen

you and your boyfriend

f***ing spooning.

Why is this smelly pikey

on my floor, anyway?

What are you doing?

- F*** off, you druggy bastard.

- "F*** off,

you druggy bastard"?

How about you f*** off,

you pikey bastard?

- Martin!

- Get him a horse and cart...

- Leave him alone!

- And get him out the house.

Pikey scruff.

- Shut up!

Just ignore him Swifty, love.

You're always welcome here.

- I don't want a skanky Swift

in my house.

- Will you shut up?

It's not your house!

- I can smell him!

I can f***ing smell him.

Move him.

- Will you get up?

We got an appointment

at clinic.

And no messing me about

this time.

You're going.

You two, can you get up, please?

Not again.

Truancy fine.

Sorry, Mum.

- I can't see no stains.

- Remember when Kitten put

that torch on us?

We could see it.

- What are you doing?

- Nowt.

- Since when did you put

your own clothes in wash?

- Don't know, Mum.

- Today.

- I earned you some money

for that fine.

- Where'd you get that?

- Just said I earned it.

- Tell me where you got it from!

I worked my arse off,

yeah, for this.

For you, yeah?

And you don't even accept it!

You ungrateful bastard!

- I'm not ungrateful.

- F*** off!

- Arbor, I'm just saying.

- F*** off!

F***'s sake!

- I just want you to go-

- F***'s sake!

- If you'd go to school

in first place-

- Don't want to!

- All right, all right!

Have you taken your tablet?

- Yeah, I f***ing have!

- Has he?

Oh, not again.

Martin!

Get in here!

- What?

- Have you chorred his tablets?

- No.

- I can't believe you,

you selfish bastard!

- Don't f***ing chat sh*t,

Arbor,

you little f***ing muppet.

- As if I ain't got enough to do

without having to get

a repeat prescription.

- Are you gonna pin it on me now

'cause of this little spazzo?

- F*** off now!

- What you doing, little prick!

- Martin, just get out.

Arbor!

- F*** off!

- F***ing crackhead!

- All right, Arbor, listen.

Listen.

You'll just have

to get one at school, yeah?

- No!

- Arbor, I need you

to go to school.

Arbor, I need you

to go to school, yeah?

- Yeah! God's sake!

- Right, Swifty?

Can you get him to school,

please?

- Now just sip it with water.

Okay.

- Swifty.

Swifty.

- Right, Fenton, that's enough!

Where's that pencil?

Why don't you just leave him-

Pick that up.

- You.

- Pick that up now!

- Suck out, you little tramp.

- What did you just say?

- F*** off.

- Oh, I see.

we're a bit special, are we?

I mean, maybe you can come and-

Since you're so special,

you can come and join me

at the table, no?

- No.

You stink.

- Ah, funny guy.

Get out your seat

and pick that up now!

- You pick it up.

- Stop laughing, everyone.

Fenton, pick it up, now!

Oy, yeah?

Funny, is it?

Fenton, come here.

- Oy, quick!

- Fenton.

Fenton!

Study room!

- Every f***ing day, man.

I hate the study room.

- You're not meant to like it.

- Shut up.

- Hey!

Get in here now.

- Here. Who's having this?

- What's up, mate?

- Beans again, Mum! Wow!

- Big boy, aren't you?

Hey, watch your language!

When you've got your food,

get in the living room.

- Take him in there,

will you, love?

- When you've got your food...

- Go on into living room.

- Where's my tea?

- Look at you.

You're useless, aren't you?

You're supposed

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Clio Barnard

Clio Barnard is a British director of documentary and feature films. She won widespread critical acclaim and multiple awards for her debut, The Arbor, an experimental documentary about Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar. In 2013 she was hailed as a significant new voice in British cinema for her film The Selfish Giant, which premiered in the Director's Fortnight section of the Cannes film festival. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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