Sleeping Giant Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Sleeping Giant Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 27, 2018

Comparisons to 2013’s “The Kings of Summer” are valid, but 2015’s “Sleeping Giant” is really its own thing, heading to Canada to explore the savage hearts of teenage boys as they’re set free for the season. Co-writer/director Andrew Cividino adapts his own 2014 short film, working hard to extend the behavioral investigation, filling the movie with small battles of conscience, love, and trust, all the while indulging all the verite inspiration he’s absorbed over the years. “Sleeping Giant” gets mostly there, and while the stress to fill a feature shows throughout the effort, there are periodic moments of enlightenment and combativeness that demand full attention.

It’s the summertime vacation season in rural Canada for cousins Nate (Nick Serino) and Riley (Reece Moffett), with the pair befriending regular Adam (Jackson Martin), a timid teen who doesn’t know what to make of the habitual troublemakers. Distracting themselves with drink, drugs, and cliff diving challenges, Nate and Riley prove to be a major influence on Adam, who joins the pair, entering into a world of bad behavior. However, as the days go by, Adam’s awareness of his life increases, recognizing the character flaws in his father, William (David Disher), the sexual interest in his friend, Taylor (Katelyn McKerracher), the toxicity of Nate, and the appeal of Riley, struggling to keep his head on straight as everything changes over the course of the season.

Cividino launches a naturalistic approach to “Sleeping Giant,” often using handheld camerawork to simply observe the young actors in motion, with realism only truly popped when dramatic necessity is required to move the story along. Summertime blues is not a novel idea, but it works in small doses, with the kids alarmingly authentic as they partake in mischief and hang out around the lakeside vacation area. Most of “Sleeping Giant” tracks Nate, Riley, and Adam’s slow but steady progress from tentative friends to hostile enemies, filling their days with charged banter and troubling ideas for entertainment. Nate and Riley are practiced hooligans, while Adam is more delicate, succumbing to peer pressure easily as the trio leap off dangerous cliffs, pal around with drug dealer (and local diving legend) Brad (Kyle Bertrand), and eventually graduate to criminal endeavors, pulling off a coordinated theft of beer from a local liquor store.

It's not easy to watch the boys be awful, but Cividino is fascinated with such delinquency, trying to marry visual art with dirtball antics, weaving through pains of the heart as Adam is exposed to his father’s failures as a husband while preaching responsibility, and Taylor proves to be a problem, blocking the teen’s view of Riley when she begins to show interest in his friend. “Sleeping Giant” doesn’t build dramatic trenches, it skims along the surface of dysfunction, showcasing generational influence and domestic instability, which has turned Nate into a monster, constantly looking for ways to antagonize people. There are fascinating stretches of unfiltered behavior, but there’s not much of a movie here, finding “Sleeping Giant” constantly working to find activities to help the effort reach a sellable run time. The material started life as a short and often still plays like one.

Sleeping Giant Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation supplies a sharp look at HD cinematography achievements. Detail is strong throughout, making the most out of the production's love of close-ups, picking up on vivid facial particulars with this collection of awkward adolescents. Vacation vistas are also impressive, offering dimension and textures with forest and lakeside visits. Colors are natural, with deep greenery and blue waters. Costuming delivers on bold primaries, and skintones are secure. Delineation keeps away from solidification. Source is clean.

Sleeping Giant Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix supports the visual event with a subtle but forceful listening experience, leading with scoring and soundtrack offerings that remain authoritative. Instrumentation is precise along with a loud choral presence, and while low-end isn't aggressive, some heaviness is welcome. Dialogue exchanges are sharp and true, detailing teen mumbling and softer acts of confession. Emotional extremes aren't distortive. Surrounds are used sparingly, but atmospherics are communicated, with a full feel for forest and lake travel, arcades, and domestic activity.

Sleeping Giant Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (6 pages) features an essay by Kyle Turner.

• "Sleeping Giant" (16:29, HD) is the original 2014 short, starring Nick Serino and Reece Moffett, directed by Andrew Cividino.

• "Giants in Cannes" (21:04, HD) is a video diary the follows Serino and Moffett as they prepare to leave their lives in Canada to visit the iconic film festival in France. Included are looks at travel preparation, tours of the area, a screening appearance, press duties, and opportunities to hit on local girls. Cividino and co-star Jackson Martin also appear.

• "Music of 'Sleeping Giants'" (13:17, HD) returns to Cividino, who's joined by composer Chris Thornborrow and Bruce Peninsula band member Neil Haverty to discuss the soundtrack and score for the picture, with inspiration tracing back to the original short film. Studio footage is including, watching singers bring the aural mood of the feature to life.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:31, HD) is included.

Sleeping Giant Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps personal relatability is key to appreciating what nuances remain in "Sleeping Giant," which offers a clear view of troubled kids trying to fill their days with self-destruction and drama. Adam's arc is vividly rendered, creating a coming-of-age journey that's particularly taxing on the boy. However, Cividino slowly works his way to an ending that's tonally severe, hunting for a way to leave the audience with a few lashes from a bullwhip after pounding them with a licorice twist for the previous 80 minutes. Matters escalate unnaturally, with a more honest conclusion pushed aside for melodrama. "Sleeping Giant" doesn't stick the landing, but it's not exactly a secure sit to begin with, only displaying intermittent invention and care for vulnerability. Still, it shines with pure adolescent spirit when it chooses to, supplying a front row seat for turbulent emotions and peer pressure.