The reason why I love everything about film so much is that there’s no prescribed method of filmmaking. There is no exact way to write, direct, or portray different imagery and one artist’s method will most likely be completely diverse to the next.
“His Hands,” a short film written, directed, and produced by Arron Blake and Darius Shu, follows two men of different ages meeting for the strangest encounter of their lives. Reading this short synopsis I didn’t know how the film was going to be portrayed; little did I know this was going to be a film that would watch and immediately message every single one of my friends to tell them to watch it immediately!
I don’t watch too many silent films but upon finding out that this was going to have no dialogue I was immediately intrigued. I know what you’re thinking…but this isn’t a Charlie Chaplain-esque type of short film; this is a much more modern silent film. It begins with one of the only two subjects, a lonely-looking older gentleman reading what appears to be a religious book similar to a Bible. A younger man then enters the house, smirking as he sees the older gentleman. Without giving away too many spoilers, the relationship between the two men becomes complicated and bizarre, much like the synopsis states. Towards the end of the film we realise what motivates each of the characters and it most definitely isn’t what you would expect.
The film’s subject matter covers sexuality including acceptance, identity, and the things a person resorts to doing when they’re lonely. I must say, as well as the interesting portrayal of these subjects, I have to give a huge commendation to the two actors, Arron Blake, who plays the younger male and Philip Brisebois who plays the older gentleman. Considering there is no dialogue in the film, the actors had to ‘show without telling’ and I felt as though they each had me gripping the edge of my chair throughout the film, constantly asking myself what was going to happen next. Blake was callous but extremely charming, while Brisebois, despite being the older one of the two, had a certain naivety to his character that was interesting to watch.
Do yourself a favour and watch this film. It is beautifully shot and looks at subject matter that is hotly debated at the moment. Considering this is the first installment of Arron Blake and Darius Shu’s film production company, Little Deer Films, I am so extremely excited to see what’s next for this company.
