I Kill Giants

This fantasy drama is a well-acted, moving tale of how an imaginative girl handles life-changing family trauma. Barbara isn't a typical "likable" main character. She can be difficult, impetuous, and reckless -- but those character flaws add to her relatability. Wolfe does a fine job exposing Barbara's vulnerability, even as she seems sure she doesn't need anything or anyone. Audiences will care about her journey. Saldana, playing against type (she's usually a fierce heroine), is caring in her supporting role as Barbara's counselor. Poots is also noteworthy as Barbara's overwhelmed oldest sister, who has to watch over the younger siblings, keep house, and attempt to make a living.

Danish director Anders Walter sensitively captures the intense drama of dealing with anticipatory grief -- the knowledge that something so out of control is about to happen that fighting giants would be preferable to reality. There are a few minor missteps and a couple of performances that don't hit their marks (the bully, for example, overacts and isn't believable as a school's mean queen bee), but those bumps don't take away from the movie's emotional tipping point, where Barbara confronts her fear, finds her courage, and makes peace with the horrors she's had to face -- and the ones that may still lie ahead.