Jätten

The Giant
Director
Johannes Nyholm
Country
Sweden, Denmark
Year
2016
Genre
Fiction
Scriptwriters
Johannes Nyholm
Production
GARAGEFILM INTERNATIONAL AB

Storyline

The tender story of Rikard, a severely deformed autistic man whose life is fueled by dreams of sports victory and imaginary worlds.

Bristling with originality, The Giant defies classification: a mythic story told on a very intimate scale; a sports movie played out to a Western soundtrack; a comedy of melancholy optimistism. From this melting pot of ideas, writer-director Johannes Nyholm crafts the tender and emotionally complex story of Rikard, a severely deformed man with autism. Haunted by the loss of his mother, from whom he was separated as a young child, Rikard believes that she will take him back if he wins the Scandinavian Championship trophy in his beloved sport of pétanque (a form of boules). Although surrounded and supported by an army of loving friends and carers who are unfazed by his condition, from time to time Rikard escapes to an imaginary world where he is a 50-metre tall giant. Marrying dazzlingly beautiful fantasy sequences with quietly moving drama, Nyholm filters Rikard’s world through a distinctive soundscape to create an extraordinarily rich and inventive film.

Festivals & Academy awards and others

BFI London Film Festival 2016
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2016
Official Selection
Special Jury Prize (Ex aequo)