The Selfish Giant 2013

Arbor and Swifty grow up in a poor, run-down corner of Bradford in West Yorkshire, where daily life is shaped by hardship and a close-knit, rough environment. Arbor wrestles with hyperactivity disorder, a condition that often lands him in trouble even when he doesn’t intend to cause it. After a fight leads to a school suspension, the two friends decide to try earning money by collecting and selling scrap metal. They quickly discover that copper stolen from telecom lines, railway infrastructure, and power utilities can be unexpectedly lucrative, drawing them deeper into a scheme that tests their nerves and judgment.

They begin by selling their haul to a local scrap dealer named Kitten, a larger-than-life figure who owns at least two horses and competes in amateur harness racing. Kitten grants Swifty work with the horses and offers them the use of a horse and cart to widen their scrap-collecting operation. The arrangement feels like a break for the boys, and Swifty’s natural affinity for animals makes him quietingly confident and capable around the horse, even as the risk of their plan grows.

As time passes, Arbor grows increasingly envious of how Kitten treats Swifty and his talent with horses. This envy pushes him toward a dangerous choice: he steals pieces of scrap from Kitten’s stash and tries to hawk them to a dealer in Huddersfield. The scheme quickly falters. The Huddersfield dealer refuses to deal with him, and when Arbor shuffles scrap to other buyers, they recognize the items as stolen and refuse to pay. Kitten learns of the betrayal, and his reaction is severe: he physically intimidates Arbor and presses him to steal a specific piece of high-voltage electric transmission wire to help cover the loss. The boys do not fully grasp the real danger of high-voltage wires, and tragedy unfolds.

Arbor cuts the wire, and Swifty—displaying his usual courage and loyalty—helps lift it, but the pair cannot outrun the lethal electricity. Swifty is electrocuted and killed in a moment that shatters everyone around them. The aftermath is heavy and complicated: Arbor is left devastated, while Kitten is arrested, taking responsibility in a way that allows Arbor to avoid the worst of the blame.

In the wake of the accident, Arbor sits outside Swifty’s mother’s house, grappling with guilt and isolation. He faces rejection after rejection, and it is only when his own mother finally finds him that he steps back toward home. He initially resists contact, hiding under his bed, but Swifty’s mother eventually comes to him, offering a fragile pathway back toward some kind of reconciliation.

The film closes on a quiet, contemplative note: in the aftermath of the tragedy, Arbor remains connected to the world Swifty loved, caring for the horse that Swifty adored. The final images linger on a boy trying to find a way to carry on after an unfathomable loss, hinting at themes of memory, responsibility, and the long, complicated process of healing.