Gigante (Giant) (2009)

Loner Jara (Horacio Camandule) lives with his sister and her son. He spends his graveyard shifts monitoring the CCTV screen at the supermarket where he’s employed as a security guard. Not much changes day to day until Julia (Leonor Svarcas), the “girl from the country,” joins the store janitorial crew and jolts Jara awake.

He watches her during his shifts—views her foibles as cute, notices with whom she interacts and tries to get to know her—from afar. Jara begins working out to his metal music and following her after their shifts end. The two share commonalities, but he doesn’t dare approach her. There’s a scene where Jara follows her and ends up at the same restaurant while she is on a date.

It’s a fine line between obsession and stalking, but Gigante walks that line without crossing it. Jara is likeable and doesn’t intimidate despite his enormous height and frame. You do wonder, will he ever make his move?

Writer/Director: Adrián Biniez

Country: Uruguay

Genre: Drama

Run time: 84 minutes

Scale: 4