This is how many people in northern England speak, fast, poorly articulated and heavily accented. All the characters, especially the 2 main boys, behaved and spoke in a very natural and authentic way but if ever a film needed subtitles, this is it. Even if you have some exposure to northern England accents, it is a challenge to hear and understand more than half the words, of which many are the f-word. Perhaps just enough to follow the story. Someone living in, say, Pakistan or Texas, or has English as a second language, has no chance of following the dialogue. Which is a pity because there is a worthwhile story here, although it has nothing to do with Oscar Wilde's short fairy tale. (So why the title?). The bleakness and desolation of the story and the setting are reinforced by the muted, washed-out colours, no bright colours, filmed with a sort of grey filter that made it a semi-black and white film. Indeed, if it had been filmed in black and white, nothing would have been lost.
Review of The Selfish Giant
