#TIFF18 Review: Giant Little Ones
By John Corrado
★★★ (out of 4)
Franky (Josh Wiggins) is a popular high schooler who has his world upended after his 17th birthday party leads to a drunken but reciprocal sexual encounter with his best friend Ballas (Darren Mann). The encounter leaves Franky struggling to define his own sexuality, as bullying amps up at school when word spreads that he might be gay, and Dallas becomes distant and even vengeful, terrified to come to terms with the prospect that their lifelong friendship might be something deeper.
The second feature from Canadian writer and director Keith Behrman, Giant Little Ones is a coming of age drama that sensitively deals with interesting and relevant themes of identity and questioning your sexuality. The film is carried by solid performances from Josh Wiggins and the rest of the young cast, as well as strong supporting turns by Maria Bello as his single mother, and Kyle MacLachlan as the father who left his wife for another man. There is a scene near the end between Wiggins and MacLachlan that is beautifully acted.
The most interesting thing about Giant Little Ones is that it doesn’t define exactly where its protagonists fall on the LGBT spectrum, instead showing them in a state of flux. This allows the film to function as a powerful look at the confusion that can come with trying to be yourself, especially when you still aren’t sure who you really are, and others are mercilessly bullying you for it.
Josh Wiggins in Giant Little Ones
Sunday, September 9th – 3:45 PM at Elgin Theatre
Monday, September 10th – 6:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre
The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th to 16th.
