User reviews

It seems some viewers didn't have patience for this film. Really a shame because I think anyone who gives themselves over to it will be taken by this giant. Beautiful cinematography, understated performances, interesting historical and socio-politico context that resonates today. As with the character of the giant himself, the film depends as much on what is unsaid as that which is spoken. It is a film rich in metaphor and poetic resonance. Most of all, it's a universally human story about the misfit in all of us, and the love and recognition we crave for our true selves. If that's not enough to satisfy any sensitive viewer, then there's no point looking beyond Megalodon.

Enjoyable Spanish film with melancholy , thoughtful events and being deliberately paced . A provoking story , being a heartbreaking expose of society , dealing with the world's tallest man, concerning a heavily disfigured man for his stature who is loved and mistreated at times , while scraping a living as a side-show freak . Having fought in the First Carlist War, Martin Eleizegi (Joseba Usabiaga) goes back to his family farm in Gipuzkoa only to be aware that his younger brother, Miguel Joaquin Eleizegi (Eneko Sagardoy) , towers over him in height . Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication . Convinced that everyone will want to pay to see the tallest man on Earth , the beloved brothers set out on a long trip all over Europe, as he becomes a celebrated curiosity amongst London's upper class . But some businessmen only want whatever he can get economically by presenting his a freak . His sad life develops in spectacles and in a freak show and, at last , he protests to be treated like the human being that he really is. When time passes he has several physical deformities, including an oversized and disfigured spect . In the end , both of the siblings rage because blame each other over a distress .

This an unsettling and interesting film , a Basque-language period intense drama set during Carlistas Wars , being full of emotion , touching scenes and good feeling . Stars an intelligent and friendly man, but he is a really high person and society watches him as a monstrous because he is severely deformed . It is a simple , dramatic and intelligent portrait of two people , focused on brothership , friendship and sibling rivalry which ambition, money and fame will forever change the family's fate . This is an uplifting movie at times, too, not just a tear-jerker or horrific in showing man's suffering , as he attempts to regain the dignity he lost after years spent as a side-show freak. The picture is developed in slow-moving but is pretty well realized . The flick stands out for its melancholy and poignant multilevel exploration of alienation , poorness and despair . The story has a certain melancholic style , a climate of transience and sadness that spread the dispute between the two protagonists brothers . Visually it transports one into a dark, grey, nightmarish world but enriched by some colorful images thanks to wonderful outdoors . It's within this world that we come to discover true beauty , as the story progresses, he becomes the hero . Being actually a bold and courageous man, standing against the evils of modern society . It lies within one hideously deformed, abused and unfortunate soul who is being kicked around in this hellish existence . The screenplay, acting, direction all come together to create this extraordinary viewing experience . You really feel like you get inside this man and his tortured existence . The intrigue is whether these intertwined lives finally will eventually find and recognize . it is an incredibly hard movie to watch, especially after you realize what a sweet, kind, smart and innocent man Joaquin Eleizegi was, it is often painful to watch the way he's treated by some people . It packs a nice cast though unknown who gives good performance . Special mention for the brilliant and glamorous cinematography by Javier Agirre , being shot on location in San Sebastian , Guipuzcoa and surroundings , Basque Country , Spain . Sensitive as well as evocative musical score by Pascal Gaigne , an expert composer who has composed and conducted a lot of scores such as ¨Mensaka¨ , ¨Silencio Roto¨ , ¨Piedras¨, ¨Azuloscurocasinegro¨ , ¨Gordos¨ and many others .

¨Handia¨ is a story based on true events and it was very well directed by Aitor Arregi, and Jon Garaño ; being spoken in original Basque language and it it required multiple VFX and Chrome . ¨Handia¨or "Aundiya" (Alzo's Giant) had a world premiere in San Sebastian Festival's main competition . Production partners , Irusoin and Moriarti Produkzoiak , two of Basque Country's most active producers, previously set up at 'Loreak' or "Flowers . ¨Loreak¨ and ¨Handia¨ mark a further step-up in the international ambitions of Basque cinema ,Irusoin , Kowalski and Moriarti have already teamed with U.S.-based Tom Atencio, the manager of New Order for 18 years, and producer of 2007 docu-feature "Joy Division," to produce a fiction feature based on docu-pic "Lucio," a portrait of a legendary anti-Franco anarchist and master forger helmed by Arregi and co-Moriarti founder Jose Mari Goenaga . ¨Loreak¨ won the followings prizes : Cinema Writers Circle Awards , Spain 2015 Won CEC Award Best Supporting Actress Itziar Aizpuru ; Feroz Awards, ES 2015 : Best Actress in a Supporting Role , Best Film: Drama and Best director ; San Sebastián International Film Festival 2014 won SIGNIS Award ; Palm Springs International Film Festival 2015 Won Cine Latino Award Jon Garaño , Jose Mari Goenaga ; Sant Jordi Awards 2015 Won Best Spanish Film and Nominated Goya Awards 2015 to best film , Best Original Score Pascal Gaigne , being the first movie filmed in Basque language nominated for a Goya . While ¨Handia¨won Winner CEC Award , Feroz Awards, ES 2018 , José Maria Forque Awards and a lot of nominations , as well as ¨10 Goya Awards 2018¨ : Winner Goya Best New Actor Eneko Sagardoy , Best Original Screenplay : Aitor Arregi, Andoni de Carlos , Jon Garaño , Jose Mari Goenaga ; Best Original Score : Pascal Gaigne , Best Production ManagerAnder Sistiaga , Best Cinematography Javier Agirre , Best Editing , Laurent Dufrech ; Best Production Design Mikel Serrano ; Best Costume Design : Saioa Lara ; Best Makeup and Hairstyles ,Ainhoa Eskisabel, Olga Cruz ,Gorka Aguirre and Best Special Effects : Jon Serrano , David Heras This is one of the most heart rending Spanish films of all time. Be prepared for an emotional experience and an amazing story.

One of films with salt taste. beautiful. but without the roots. you define it as a family story. or a portrait. or definition of loneliness. but , at the end, each definition seems not convincing. a Basque film. and that is all. the landscapes, the cinematography, the language are more significant than the story itself.

It's depressing in a good way... It's interesting, slow paced, you can't expect much from this movie but it's amusing. I watch TONS of Netflix movies / series etc and when you don't have many options left, it's entertaining. If you watch it at night you will probably fall sleep really fast but it's ok haha

I get the reviewers here who don't get the touching nature of the presentation of the characters. The apparent limited warmth between the family members, called "salt taste" by one of the reviewers here, is Basque. I'd say that's the way they appear to us outsiders, that this is look into what makes the Basque culture unique is revealing.

I found the film visually stunning, the characters facinating, deep and wonderfully challenging to get to know. Here, a faithfully Basque presentation.

A an experience I hope I never forget.

Watched with Spanish dub and English subtitles.

All in all the movie was average movie. This film could have use some more human emotions, and then the audience could feel a strong connection with giant.

The script was also average. With some little more emotional connections with different characters could made the script a whole lot better. Throughout the film it seemed that the characters are slightly detached from each other, which made the film a bit less enjoyable. Performance of the characters was a bit of stale; there was no extraordinary performance.

As far as the story goes, one can try the film in a slow evening when there is nothing to do.

Great film. Delicious in shooting rythm and feeling. Beautiful history of Basque country characters deciding to succeed In the rest of Spain and even Protugal and France. All languages mixed like in real life then. Please have a look at "Loreak" if you wanted this one.

10 goyas? Really? Spaniard cinema must be dead if each movie in 2017 was worse than this.

A sad and depressing story, but one that captivates and moves the viewer.

I generally don't like spanish dramas. Just because they are often about the same themes and actors are not that convincing (in native language).

But this time, I loved these actors. I watched it dubbed into spanish, though. But the cinematography is AWESOME. The theme is really interesting, different.

The problem with the movie is not that it is slow paced or it has no feelings. It has a lot of feelings, the vfx / proesthetics works is amazing also, but it is that not much happens along the story... I wish there was more than just the "person who is treated like an object to get money and that ends up being a sad and terrible for everyone". It's ok for a premise but I wish more stuff happened than just gazes and people with sad faces.

Anyhow, GREAT movie. I'd love to see more of these kind of movies that are more local and more culturally similar to the real spain than others that only want to imitate what Hollywood does.

I tried very hard to connect with something - anything - in this film, but just couldn't. Boring, flat-lined plot. Scenes seemed to be filmed very dark. I can't find anything redeeming to say about it. Didn't finish.

XIX century Spain, Basque country, endless wars need endless fodder, and who else would serve that purpose better than poor and destitute. Age old story repeating cyclically to these days. Surviving the war was hard enough but coming home in one piece was even more important. Crippled peasant was no good to anybody, just one more hungry mouth to feed. This heartbreaking movie filmed in harsh, almost unreal terrain tells this saga almost like a fairytale with a giant and a cripple in its center. Two brothers dealt the worst cards in the game of life plod through faraway lands as a part of a cruel freak show. Even having a choice makes one privileged, our heroes have none, just bare-knuckle fight for survival, till the bones break and all mercifully ends.

When I watched the movie "Handia" which translates to "The Giant" it was a deeply moving experience. The fact that it was based on a real person, makes the humanistic aspect even more compelling. His name was Miguel Joaquin Eleicegui (1818-1861). He suffered from Gigantism and was nicknamed the "Giant from Altzo". Apart from the brilliant cinematography and wonderful performances of the actors, it captures the culture of the times. The film endeavours to be historically accurate in showing events that occurred during that period, like the Carlist War. The language spoken was authentic. Although, I wouldn't consider it a feel good movie, as the themes are quite dark. It shows the best and worst of the human condition and how far people prepared to go, to exploit others to get what they want.

As a tall female, myself (6ft 1) I identified with the character of Joaquin, to some extent. Most of us are familiar with Andre the Giant, Robert Wadlow and Sandy Allen, to name a few. However, do we really understand, what they went through and experienced because of their extraordinary height? For most averaged size people, the answer is no. The truth is, we never will fully understand the difficulties they faced. Some of us have watched interviews and documentaries about them, with some bemusement. In actual fact we only get a birds-eye view, of what they go through. If you are curious as to what it's really like being tall, I would highly recommend watching the movie. It adds a stark realism and explores in depth, a variety of issues that Joaquin's character and other tall people have to face every day. Even though the movie was set in the 1800s, it's still very relevant today.

One common experience the movie captured really well, was that of unwanted attention. There's no denying, as soon as tall people walk out their front door, they stand out in a crowd and get stared at. This was captured in the scene at church. They are made to feel self conscious, judged and isolated. Sadly, we are not viewed as human beings with our own identity and feelings but rather, as objects of curiosity. Everywhere the character of Joaquin went, people stared, made fun of him and treated him like a spectacle and a caricature. In the age of iPhones and Selfies, this is even more intrusive. When people take photos on their phones without consent, things go viral very quickly. This adds to more stress and anxiety and can take its toll on their mental health. Even though they didn't have this technology back then, it was still an uncomfortable for Joaquin, having his photo taken (for a fee) which was a form of harassment that was ongoing.

The stereotypes prescribed for tall people, are either a Basketball player or a Model. The irony is, they are in many different occupations, that unfortunately don't make as much money, as those two. I often get asked repeatedly "Do you play Basketball? Are you a model? I wish! The money would be great but wouldn't be a match. Back in the olden days, it was worse as the options were limited. The stereotype was that of a "Circus Freak" which is demoralising. Out of desperation tall people had to join the circus, to make a living. The experience would be totally humiliating, bringing up all their fears and insecurities and commonly held prejudices about their height. Exploitation was captured brilliantly in the movie. Due to that stereotype, Martin decided to display Joaquin as a "Circus Freak" for financial gain. This scene highlighted the belittling tactics used to manipulate and break down resistance, to achieve his goal. Joaquin wasn't consulted and his wishes were disregarded. The family farm was in financial trouble, and Martin used this as leverage. This is another example of negative stereotype, that tall people are perceived as simple minded, mentally slow and directionless. Joaquins meeting with Queen Isabella of Spain, who humiliates him and treats him as subhuman, highlights this brilliantly.

Physical problems are part and parcel of being tall and this was portrayed beautifully in the movie. Joaquin experiences joint pains and headaches, as he's body is under a lot of stress, due to rapid and continuous growth. The thought of growing taller caused him a lot of anxiety, as he measures himself. As the film unfolds Joaquin has trouble walking and has to use a walking stick. Again the body can't carry that much weight as the muscles and tendons get stretched and weakened. If the condition is left untreated, it can be fatal. Such was the case with Joaquin as he died young.

The movie also delves into the difficulties that tall people face in relationships. The character of Joaquin dated a girl that his brother later married. Whether the break up was due to the excessive growth spurt is unknown. There's another scene when Joaquin has a romantic interlude with another tall woman named Esther. Intimacy becomes a real problem for Joaquin because he was an introvert, had low self esteem and faced humiliation because of what his brother put him through. Therefore he couldn't be vulnerable in a relationship. This ends very badly, due to him feeling inadequate as a man in relationships with women. Alpha males up to 6ft6 who are successful and wealthy in our society are considered highly desirable. Anything taller than that is perceived as unusual. People back in Joaquins era were a lot shorter due to poor diet. This would've magnified his insecurities about his height even more. It's true that we measure ourselves according to the societies standards of the time and the place we live. Joaquin was no exception as he was a sensitive introvert who just wanted to blend in and lead a normal life. That's how most of us feel.

From the outside looking in, people focus to the novelty of what it's like to be tall, rather than the problems. I hope that when people watch this movie, it will give them a realistic perspective on height and be more empathetic in the way they interact with tall people. Hopefully they will ditch the stereotypes and make it about the whole person rather than just their height. The essence of this film, is that we are human beings with all the intrinsic qualities and are more than just our height.