8.2
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Drama • 2013 • 91 min • Adults (18+)
The Selfish Giant (2013)
The Selfish Giant (2013)
Overview
A British social-realist drama set in Bradford, 'The Selfish Giant' follows two working-class boys who fall into the orbit of a scrap metal dealer, loosely inspired by the Oscar Wilde story. Director Clio Barnard frames the boys' world through systemic poverty: absent fathers, overwhelmed mothers, and adults who exploit rather than protect. The film reads as Leans Progressive because its driving concern is structural. Poverty is not a backdrop here; it is the antagonist. Family is portrayed as fractured by economic pressure, and the children's vulnerability reads as a consequence of societal neglect. No religious, DEI, or identity politics signals shape the rating. Class and exploitation carry almost all the weight.
Starring Cast
Conner Chapman • Shaun Thomas • Sean Gilder
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Low
Family Values: Leans Progressive
Viewer Rating
8.2
Overview
A British social-realist drama set in Bradford, 'The Selfish Giant' follows two working-class boys who fall into the orbit of a scrap metal dealer, loosely inspired by the Oscar Wilde story. Director Clio Barnard frames the boys' world through systemic poverty: absent fathers, overwhelmed mothers, and adults who exploit rather than protect. The film reads as Leans Progressive because its driving concern is structural. Poverty is not a backdrop here; it is the antagonist. Family is portrayed as fractured by economic pressure, and the children's vulnerability reads as a consequence of societal neglect. No religious, DEI, or identity politics signals shape the rating. Class and exploitation carry almost all the weight.
Starring Cast
Conner Chapman • Shaun Thomas • Sean Gilder
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Primary
Political: Strong Left
Confidence: High
The film's central thesis explicitly critiques systemic poverty and the exploitation of vulnerable youth within a deprived working-class community, highlighting the devastating consequences of economic injustice. Its narrative serves as a powerful indictment of societal failures to protect its most vulnerable, aligning with progressive calls for systemic change.
Diversity: Low
Confidence: High
The movie features a cast primarily reflecting the white working-class community it depicts, without intentional race or gender swaps for diversity. Its narrative focuses on socio-economic struggles within this community, portraying traditional identities neutrally without explicit critique or central DEI themes.
Secondary
Family Values: Leans Progressive
Confidence: High
The film portrays family life as largely dysfunctional, characterized by absent fathers, overwhelmed single mothers, and a severe lack of parental authority and care, leading children to seek belonging and purpose outside their immediate biological families.
LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High
The Selfish Giant does not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The narrative focuses on the social realist portrayal of two young boys navigating poverty and friendship in a deprived area of Bradford, with themes centered on class, childhood, and the harsh realities of their environment.
Trans: N/A
Confidence: High
The film 'The Selfish Giant' does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. Its narrative centers on the harsh realities of poverty and the friendship between two young boys in a deprived area, with no elements related to transgender identity present in the story.
Female Combat: N/R
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High
The film features original characters created for its contemporary narrative, not adaptations of pre-existing figures with established genders from source material or historical records. Therefore, no gender swaps occur.
Race Swap: No
Confidence: High
The film is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's short story. The original source material does not specify the race of its allegorical characters (the Giant, the children), thus there is no established race to be swapped from. The film's portrayal of the characters does not contradict any prior canonical racial depiction.
Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High
Not depicted in the film.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
7.3
7.2
Critic Ratings
9.8
8.3
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