Film: Give Me Your Hand
Release date: 7th June 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 80 mins
Director: Pascal Alex-Vincent
Starring: Victor Carril, Alexandre Carril, Samir Harrag
Genre: Drama
Studio: Peccadillo
Format: DVD
Country: France
Previously a winner of the Palme d’Or Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival, Pascal-Alex Vincent’s debut feature film looks at brotherly love and independence.
Billed as a “sensitively told love story”, the film follows the coming-of-age experiences of 18-year old twins Quentin and Antoine (played by identical twins Victor and Alexandre Carril) as they journey from their rural French home to their estranged mother’s funeral in Barcelona. A charming animé-style animation (echoing one of the twin’s illustrative talents in the film) prologues the action, from where we join the twins on their journey.
What follows is an understated road trip, reminiscent of a Gus Van Sant offering perhaps, where dialogue is minimal, actions impulsive and motives unexplained...
As they make their way to Spain, the brothers strive to establish their individual identities, through the people they meet and the experiences they have. Sexual encounters are free and easy and seemingly without consequence, from a bored female petrol station employee who tags along for a while, to two girls who offer them a lift. But the opposing forces of brotherly love and fierce sibling rivalry conspire to obstruct the very individuality the identical brothers yearn for.
A dysfunctional family life is hinted at early in the film, suggesting it is this, as much as genetic similarity, that keeps bringing the brothers back together, with both torn between the quest for independence and the security of a family tie.
A stint as farm labourers en route changes the dynamic of the relationship – and in turn of the film itself. In an apparent gesture of defiance towards his domineering twin, one brother enjoys a poignant sexual encounter with another male labourer. But his new-found sexual freedom is short-lived. Clearly shocked by his twin’s escapade, but lacking the means to express his feelings, the other brother re-asserts his dominance by demanding they leave the farm immediately. Later on, a contemptuous remark to predatory stranger about his brother’s farmyard encounter not only reminds us of the resentment he still harbours, but unwittingly places his beloved twin in great danger.
As rising tensions threaten to tear the twins apart for good, they cool off by splitting up for a while as they approach Spain. We stay with one twin – who has an unexpected sexual encounter with a Good Samaritan – before the brothers re-unite, in a somewhat contrived and sentimental fashion, in Barcelona.
Inspired by many a ‘70s road movie, this is an admirable attempt at the genre but ultimately lacks enough meaningful content to go the distance. Once the common road trip themes – bonding, rivalry, the journey into adulthood – are established early on, there is little else on offer here, except the enticing French countryside. This is a shame because the twins carry their characters very well, with a sympathetic supporting cast. It’s just that they’re not given much to work with, leaving the impression that the brothers’ obvious ability and natural chemistry have been rather wasted.
The director may well have intended a subtle study of teenage personas and sibling relationships. But the characters, within a minimal plot, are not developed anywhere near fully enough to provide a detailed study of anything much, let alone illicit an empathetic response from the viewer. An interesting premise never realises its full potential, and as the credits roll, there’s a distinct air of disappointment.
Vincent’s first offering, Baby Shark, won a Palme d’Or at Cannes for Best Short Film and you can’t help wondering if a revised Give Me Your Hand would have been better in that category, too. Viewers can make up their own minds, as Baby Shark (along with another Vincent short, Final Exams) is a bonus feature on the DVD.
On this evidence, Vincent’s work certainly shows promise. But despite some beautiful camera work and thoughtful portrayals by the leads and supporting cast, this rural road trip doesn’t quite reach its destination. CS
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