Critic Reviews

Gigante represents the sort of artful low-budget accomplishment that could, and should, be coming out of distressingly stingy Chicago once a year — whatever the subject, whatever the sensibility.

Camandule gives a strong performance as the lovesick guard, but Svarcas gets little chance to show her skills. There's minimal dialogue and camera movement -- but lots of charm.

Because of the limitations imposed by the nature of Gigante, and because of Jara's simple, almost childish shyness, the film doesn't transcend its characters. Like Jara, it waits and watches.

It is an appealing, gently comedic prologue to a love story.

As unpretentious as it is perceptive, Gigante is a gem.

It's an interesting film but not enthralling, a little like Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble" minus the element of crime.

The film is impeccable but distant, lacking in spontaneity and not very original.

The problem is that the film also refuses to move beyond a glacial pace, and its choice to go slow-and-low doesn’t scream art-house aesthetic so much as unintentionally sluggish. For such a small character study, that decision ends up being a doozy of a deal breaker.

With potentially lethargic materials, Biniez has made a quiet, intent, involving film, a moony-innocent urban alienation fairy tale of bashful ogre and village beauty--and it never quite crests.

Though it takes time to find its courage and heart, Gigante, like its oversized hero, merely has a slow, shy way of doing things.