Giant Little Ones
Giant Little Ones is a 2018 Canadian drama film, directed by Keith Behrman. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan and Maria Bello as the parents of a teenage boy (Josh Wiggins), whose lives are upended after their son and a friend are involved in an intimate incident after a party. The film was shot in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in 2017. It premiered on September 9 at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, and received a limited release in the United States on March 1, 2019. In December 2018, the Toronto International Film Festival named the film to  its annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list. Behrman won the Vancouver Film Critics Circle award for Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film. Plot. Ray Winter leaves his wife, Carly, for another man. Ray's popular, athletic son, Franky, refuses to talk to his father despite Ray's pleas. Some time later, Franky is about to celebrate his birthday. His best friend, fellow swimmer Ballas Kohl, pressures Franky to sleep with girlfriend Priscilla just as Ballas and his girlfriend, Jess, have done. Ballas boasts of having had sex repeatedly. After Franky's birthday party, a drunk Ballas attempts to  have sex with an equally intoxicated Franky. Ballas is terrified that his actions have outed him, and he and his girlfriend begin to spread rumors that it is Franky who initiated the sex. Franky slowly begins to piece his life back together with the support of his potentially transgender friend, Mouse. He also rekindles his relationship with Ballas' sister, Natasha, whom everyone (including Franky) ostracized some time ago as a "slut" after she was sexually assaulted at a party. He reconnects with his father, and admits that he is uncertain, as he did not feel uncomfortable during the incident with  Ballas. His father points out that he may not know his full truth yet, but he need not rush to immediately define himself. Through this guidance and the support of his family and friends, Franky finds himself confident and resilient, making an effort to reconnect with Ballas. Critical response. "Giant Little Ones" received positive reviews. On the website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has approval rating, based on reviews. The website's consensus reads, ""Giant Little Ones" puts a complex and refreshingly nuanced spin on the traditional coming of age drama, further elevated by the admirable efforts of a talented cast ." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Writing for CBC Arts in his regular "Queeries" column on LGBTQ entertainment, Peter Knegt praised the film as part of a rising and necessary trend of honest depictions of teenage sexuality and sexual identity issues. He wrote that the film "feels like something of an antidote to last year's gay teen rom-com "Love, Simon", which felt like it barely scratched the surface of what its characters were going through."