Sleeping Giant 2015

Sleeping Giant 2015
1h 29min | Adventure, Drama | 17 February 2016 (France)
Storyline:
The Hudsons – husband and wife William and Linda, and their fifteen year old son Adam – are spending the summer, like they have the several recent past summers, at their cottage on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior. William and Linda are still trying to perpetuate them being the perfect family, which they have been able to do as Adam is still closer emotionally to childhood than he is to adulthood and still largely follows parental rules. However, William wants to be both Adam's father and best friend as he is encouraging Adam to pursue Taylor, a similarly aged girl Adam has known forever at the lake. Adam doesn't want to admit to anyone that he does like Taylor in that way, he justifying his non-action by not wanting to ruin their friendship. This summer for the first time, Adam hangs out with cousins Riley and Nate, who are a little rougher around the edges than him. They are spending the summer with their permissive grandmother, Riley living with her permanently since the death of his parents. Riley and Nate's relationship is characterized by roughhousing, smoking (both cigarettes and weed), petty theft, hazing type rituals such as vandalism, and oneupmanship in the form of dares in feats of what they see as masculinity. Adam gets caught up in their life, with William's blessing in wanting again to act the friend, although Adam does consider Riley a true friend, the more sensitive one, as opposed to Nate who is all teen bravado. Adam has reason to be drawn more to the cousins than to his parents this summer, in him discovering that his family is less than perfect. However, as Adam tries to be who everyone wants him to be, he may have to grow up quickly without that true responsible guidance to show him the way.
User review:
There are more coming-of-age films than masterpieces in the Louvre, but there are only a handful of them that have stood the test of time. First-time Canadian director Andrew Cividino's Sleeping Giant, an update of the short that won the youth jury prize at Locarno last year, may just join this select group. Winner of the award for Best Canadian First Feature Film at the Toronto Film Festival, it is the story of three very different teenage boys during a summer vacation in Northern Ontario. It is not a comedy about lovable misfits such as "Kings of Summer," but an expression of growing up in all its reality and in all its cruelty.
The film is set in the rugged area around Lake Superior close to lush forests and breathtaking mountain ranges, beautifully photographed by cinematographer James Klopko. The title refers to the huge rock formation near Thunder Bay known as Todd's Cliff which was named after the individual who survived the 100-foot drop. The title, however, can also apply to the anger building in 15-year-old Adam (Jackson Martin), a slight, sensitive boy with a shaky self image. Adam, who does not seem to have an offensive bone in his body, is the odd man out in his collection of friends which includes cousins Nate (Nick Servino) and Riley (Reece Moffett). The boys are staying with their Grandmother (Rita Serino) but would not look out of place in a juvenile detention facility.