Written and directed by Arron Blake and Darius Shu, His Hands is an experiment in visual storytelling on a budget, with deliciously scandalous results. The pair have made a series of very bold creative choice, all of which have paid off. Though the film has no dialogue, the physical interactions between the characters says more than words ever possibly could. This is completely reliant on the excellent performances of Philip Brisebois, who plays the older man, and Arron Blake, who plays the younger man.
One of the most immediately noticeable features of the film is its shadowy aesthetics, which are captured beautifully by Shu’s fluid cinematography. His Hands is drenched with symbolism and layered meaning, which Shu draws subtle attention to through the cinematography. This kind of covert visual guidance creates a tense atmosphere as the audience are hooked on unravelling the coded secrets of the film. The use of backlighting is stunning – especially in conjunction with the fact that 95% of the lighting on the set was natural. This creates beautiful silhouettes of the protagonists, adding another level to the metaphorical darkness that surrounds the storyline.
Blake and Brisebois have excellent onscreen chemistry. The intense eye contact they maintain through the film is extraordinary and creates a unique power dynamic. The performance of the actors in His Hands is interesting because they show almost no distinguishable emotion. That isn’t to say, however, that the characters are emotionless. Far from it. Both the younger man and the older man possess such immense depth of feeling with very limited facial expression, which is remarkable.
As things take an unusual turn, we are still left questioning the nature of the relationship. Within the subtext, we see mirroring between the two men as well as a plethora of physical symbols, all open for the audience to perceive through their own individual lenses. Even as the film grows darker still, many questions remain unanswered and even more are created. We are invited to draw out own conclusions and apply out own theories to the meaning of the film.
The final silhouetted shot of the film is breathtakingly stunning. It’s very easy to see why the film has won a string of awards! Together, Darius Shu and Arron Blake have created a darkly mysterious thriller that takes controversial themes by the scruff of the neck and thrusts them into the forefront of our cinematic consciousness with aesthetic flair.
His Hands is available to watch on Amazon Prime now…
Watch the trailer below