Gigantic

Impressions before seeing it
Gigantic is one of two indie romantic comedies this summer featuring Zooey Deschanel. That's about all I knew.

How was it?
I'm not really sure what this film was about. The opening scene had this little thing about a scientist studying depression in mice and I thought that would have possibly alluded to one of the characters because it seemed significant, but no one was depressed. Brian (Dano) may seem like it at first glance, but as we see when he is randomly attacked by a homeless guy, he fights to survive. The homeless guy element goes unexplained (the same guy seems to stalk Brian and beat him on a regular basis for no reason), but this is the only reason I can think of for it to be in the movie, to show that Brian "swims" rather than give up and drown like the depressed mice in the experiment.

The plot isn't very complex at all, but I didn't mind. The selling point of the movie is the characters, Brian and Happy (Deschanel), and their relationship. The unique thing about these two is that they seem somewhat awkward and distant from each other, yet at the same time there is still a feeling of chemistry somehow. I think it makes it relatable rather than being a storybook lovey-dovey romance, or even a dysfunctional "always bickering but still madly in love" romance. This one is just... a relationship. That's what I liked about it.

Recommendation
I suppose it's just another average indie film. It's not really funny, nor is it heartwarmingly romantic, but there was something about it I liked that I can't put my finger on. I guess if quirky and interesting is your type of movie then this one is worth a look.