Written and directed by David Raboy
Starring Odessa Young, Ben Schnetzer, Jack Kilmer and Madelyn Cline
Running time: 1 hour and 39 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

by Audrey Callerstrom

There’s something here. The Giant, written and directed by David Raboy, is based on his short film of the same name. I wish I could find the short film, because I think that Raboy is a competent director from a technical and aesthetic standpoint. Maybe it’s better as a short film. It shows the promise of something bigger, something deeper. But Raboy can’t decide if he wants to do a coming-of-age film about Georgia teens after graduation, one that moves similarly to The Tree of Life, or if this is a horror film with a vague supernatural presence. It doesn’t balance both. There’s plenty of voiceover, interior shots of homes (big plantation-style ones), characters speaking poetically. The Giant is like a fever dream of a cohesive, longer film that spends more time with each scene, diving into some of the themes and elements the final product only alludes to.