Posted: 11/12/2009

“GIGANTE”

by Sanela Djokovic

Uruguay / 2008 / 84 min.

“GIGANTE,” winner of three awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, revolves around Java(Horacio Camandule), a 35-year-old introverted “big guy” type working security at a supermarket in Montevideo, Uruguay, and his benign obsession with a cleaning lady named Julia (Leonor Svarcas).

The film, written and directed by Argentina’s Adrián Biniez, starts by capturing the tediousness of Jara’s life, divided between his two jobs and grunting along to his favorite heavy-metal songs. That is until he develops a new interest in Julia and makes watching her from the surveillance room his new hobby. He relates to her, then becomes enamormed with her, as he watches her awkwardly clean the isles. Soon enough he follows her walking home, at the movie theater and even follows her while she is on a date with another man.

However disturbing this may sound, there is no mistaking Jara as someone creepy. It is clear, despite his heavy build and strange demeanor, that Jara is simple, sweet and safe. Horacio Camandule’s lack of imposition might just be the best part of “GIGANTE.” He brings an authenticity, and even some warmth, to this lonely and desperately in like character. He brings Jara to a level we can all understand, allowing the audience to sympathize with him, relate to him and root for him.

One of the best scenes in the movie finds Jara following Julia’s date after she goes home. The man gets cornered by three teenagers, but before they can hurt him Jara intervenes and punches each kid once in the face. Afterward, the two men go back to the scene of the date for a drink, an opportunity Jara uses to ask about Julia. It’s a scene that really summarizes Jara’s character.

Eventually, Jara’s composure crumbles after his limited connection to Julia is compromised. He creates havoc in the the supermarket isles, but does not hurt anyone. After the snap, he forces himself to reconsider being the outsider looking in.

Biniez effectively uses creeping pace and little dialogue to present the dryness of everyday, working-class life, but also to engage the audience in the intensity of what Jara is feeling. At the same time, it does not present a sense of tension that may have enchanced the intensity of the film. It’s not clear whether Jara’s character is supposed to be straddling a line between harmless loner and freakish stalker, but there is no strain within any aspect of this film, except for the sometimes threatening soundtrack.

From the characters to the atmopshere, simplicity and optimism linger throughout the film. “GIGANTE” could have gone in a number of directions. The minimalism applied to the plot and to the main character gives the film a lot of heart. Still, it has a strange aftertaste, as if the scope of the story was severed along the way.

“Gigante,” is the first feature length film directed by Adrián Biniez and is scheduled to open November 25 @ the IFC Center.

Sanela Djokovic is a writer living in the Bronx

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