FILM: Giant Little Ones

Just when you thought there was nothing new to be done with coming out stories, Giant Little Ones takes the genre to Gen Z, with its putative openness to sexual fluidity tested against the societal need to categorize and label people, and the perennial emotional gauntlet that is high school. While not nearly as sunny and tidy as last year’s Love Simon, it drove its fresh and unpredictable plot through more complex and at times darker terrain to an emotionally satisfying ending, provided you’re willing to let the characters love without labels (as the tagline of the film suggests). The film benefits from some sensitive and authentic performances from young actors Josh Wiggins as the main character Franky and Taylor Hickson as Tash, his best friend’s sister, with some playful but sensitive dimension added by Niamh Wilson as Franky’s gender-non-conforming friend Mouse. Writer-director Keith Behrman shows a sensitivity to high school dynamics and the many ways of not fitting in that called to mind John Hughes films like Pretty in Pink.