Giants Being Lonely is a 2019 indie coming-of-age drama directed by Grear Patterson in his directorial debut, and written by Patterson and Sam Stillman. The film premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival and was part of the 2020 Official Selection at the Tribeca Film Festival.

In Hillsborough, North Carolina, high school seniors Adam, Bobby, and Caroline experience the ups and downs of sex, loneliness, murder, and baseball during the final year of high school. Star pitcher Bobby is beloved for his athletic talents, but is unmoored from life and neglected by his alcoholic father. Adam, the less skilled player, has a crush on their classmate Caroline but must deal with his abusive father and his closed off mother.[

The cast includes Jack Irving, Ben Irving, Lily Gavin, Amalia Culp, and Gabe Fazio.

Giants Being Lonely made its limited release on September 1st, 2019, courtesy of Gravitas Ventures, prior to a streaming release on Prime Video.

THE GOOD

Every now and then a movie flies completely under my radar until I either come across the poster or the trailer and it happens to catch my eye, and that is exactly what happened with Giants Being Lonely. I pride myself on giving the world of indie filmmaking the respect it deserves so I will always try and give anything that looks a bit indie a second look, and the poster for this definitely looked the part. After a quick look, I confirmed not only was this an indie film, it was a coming-of-age story which if you know me or have kept up on my reviews, you would know that is without question one of my favorite genres. Plus, add in the fact that the story is centered around a high school baseball team from the south, and I knew I needed to check this out immediately. So, was it worth my time, or did I miss it for good reason? Keep reading to find out!

One of the reasons I love indie films so much, especially indie dramas or coming-of-age stories, they don’t feel the need to fill every second with dialogue. In my opinion, it’s part of what is wrong with the world today, like people are afraid to be alone with their own thoughts. Films like Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Drive, or even The Place Beyond the Pines, all sacrifice dialogue for the ability to feel something and live in the moment. To just watch the look in the eyes of a character and try to figure out what they might be feeling, really is the ultimate way to connect viewers to the experience which at the end of the day is what filmmaking is all about.

Giants Being Lonely takes this approach to heart and slowly gives viewers an intimate look at the film’s characters while leaving breadcrumbs of backstory as the film progresses. It may not always work the way it is intended to and some may find this approach frustrating, but for me and for most fans of indie film, this style is my happy place in so many ways. My advice, strive to be someone who can go to a movie alone, or maybe even to breakfast alone with a good book. At the risk of sounding like a self-help book, the first step towards self-actualization is the ability to be alone with your thoughts and just live in that moment.

Okay so back to talking about the movie, Giants Being Lonely is far from perfect but it did give me plenty to appreciate. I really loved how even though the film was essentially present day, it still felt much older as the teenagers portrayed didn’t have their faces buried in cell phones, and families still at least attempted to sit at a dinner table for a meal together. This added a certain layer of rare authenticity I surely appreciated. From a purely technical standpoint, this is a fantastic film. I mean sure it is still flawed, but as a debut film, it has a ton going for it. I loved the raw and gritty indie feel the film had throughout, making you feel as though you were right there in this small town in North Carolina.

My favorite thing about this film was the overall approach as far as the camera work and the score, making for a true indie feel that often relied on pure emotion and tone to deliver its message. This approach can be risky and doesn’t always work here, but all things considered, I felt like the identity of the film from a technical perspective was without question a big bright spot for the film and worth experiencing. Ben Morsberger serves up the perfect music to match the emotional tone of each and every scene. A perfect example is the film’s closing sequence which is equally chilling and thought-provoking thanks to the score/music and camera work.

THE BAD

The acting and the writing, more specifically a good portion of the dialogue, are the most glaring issues keeping Giants Being Lonely from reaching its full potential. The screenplay from Grear Patterson and Sam Stillman has a clear goal in mind but seems to lose focus somewhere along the way. I’m trying my best to avoid being overly critical of the cast because we are dealing with what is primarily a group of no-name actors. My issue is with the inability to play to your strengths and mask your weaknesses, and I just felt like the cast was left on an island with a script that felt nonsensical at times. The idea was to try and have an abundance of the awkward teenage moments that come along with high school and I get that, I just felt like the execution left a lot to be desired. What we are left with is a bunch of uncomfortable moments with characters that feel like a shell of their true selves. I had a hard time really relating to any of the characters by the end of the film, and just felt like that element of the film lacked substance.

Giants Being Lonely has lofty goals which include the film’s conclusion, and for me, the ending seemingly comes out of nowhere. I really liked how the ending was presented keeping with the stylish element of the film, but it all felt a bit out of left field (pun intended) thanks to the inability to effectively develop characters. The issues I had with how forced and generic the dialogue felt certainly played a part as well. Bottom line, even though the film is very clear in terms of what it is trying to do, the end result is a failure to meet the goal that seemed to be right there for the taking.

THE VERDICT

A coming-of-age indie drama with high aspirations that suffers from poor writing and uninspired dialogue, Giants Being Lonely ultimately squanders its full potential but still serves as a solid debut from director Grear Patterson. There really is a lot to like here and while the broader message is always clear, the film struggles to effectively convey the deeper meaning behind the inner turmoil impacting each character to a varying degree. In my opinion, this has to do with some of the film’s flaws I talked about earlier in the review, which holds the film back, which is unfortunate because it really could have been great.

I still recommend giving Giants Being Lonely a watch even if just for the technical elements alone, and at around an hour and 20 minutes it goes by pretty fast. I plan to give it another viewing to see if it comes together a bit better the second time around.