There is no such thing as a happy movie set in the north of England. The Selfish Giant, set in Bradford West Yorkshire, makes the most of the lighter aspects of a friendship battling against grim reality.
Arbor Fenton (Conner Chapman), is a kid with difficulties, on and off his attention medication, off when his strung out brother steals it, he has his mother wrapped around his little finger and his teachers at a loss. The only thing that drives him is a graft for money and his friend Swifty (Shaun Thomas). They take up selling scrap to the local dealer Kitten, who trades in stolen copper wire. He shows the boys the ropes, burning off identification numbers and the like, and so following exclusion from school they take up scrap full time.
Loosely based on Oscar Wilde’s fable of the same name, this vision of The Selfish Giant is a tale of children without a childhood. Conner Chapman is a find as Arbor, his every fidget a warning sign, his confidence and swagger a delight. Shaun Thomas as the best friend Swifty is also an amazing discovery; he conveys genuine warmth and has an honest, believable smile. The film is at its best when something is at stake, a scene of illegal on road harness racing is breathtaking, you sit in fear that the worst will happen. Like the wires the boys spend their time foraging, this film pops and crackles with foreboding, and like the actors it’s a real find.
