Giants Being Lonely

This moody, atmospheric coming-of-age drama is reminiscent of the work of Sofia Coppola, Larry Clark, and Terrence Malick. In other words, characterization and cinematography take precedence over story and plot. Giants Being Lonely is the sort of movie that seems more likely to appeal to adults who appreciate independent cinema than actual teens, who might find it too introspective and without more than the barest of narrative threads. Patterson is already a critically acclaimed and well-connected millennial artist, and the cast is full of well-heeled 20-something artists, models, and friends of the filmmakers. One of the reasons it can be difficult to tell blond-and-bright-eyed Bobby and Adam apart is that actors Ben and Jack Irving are real-life brothers. And producer Olmo Schnabel's (son of celebrated painter-director Julian Schnabel) older sister plays Caroline's mother.

Despite the seemingly nepotistic hires, the movie effectively portrays snapshots of troubled teens' lives; they might have problems at home, but they can still figure out how to survive, seek pleasure, and show up for small moments of glory on the baseball field. Patterson cleverly introduces elements early on that come back into play later in the film. Mostly it's a collection of aesthetically beautiful shots -- of faces, of intimate romantic conversations, of these golden characters walking around. Giants Being Lonely is a poetic and intriguing, if not particularly original, film that will leave audiences talking about one particular scene. It's a promising if not extraordinary debut that should earn Patterson a second feature.