Firstly, I have no connection to this film at all. This is a genuine 10 star review. I was lucky enough to see Handshake at the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival last night. I had heard it was going to be good (and it beat my little film to two awards, so I knew it couldn't be all bad lol), but nothing could prepare me for how much I was going to enjoy this.
I went in expecting a well-acted crime drama as that's what it had been promoted as, but I knew nothing of the plot. And to be honest, I'm not going to spoil it here either, as I think it would lesson your enjoyment. What I will say is that this is a bit like a modern Hitchcock film. That is a description that gets thrown around a lot, and might conjure the wrong idea. What I mean to say is that this is what someone like Hitchcock would be doing if they made films now. Strangers on a Train is the one that comes to mind, but this is really its own beast. It's like Hitchcock without any of the false staginess he could never quite shake. A real-world cool Hitch. It has gripping drama and suspense, an absolutely delicious key hook and so much quick wit and dry humour it kept me grinning throughout. At the same time, it all feels very grounded in reality with genuine emotion and believable characters (and fantastic acting all round, especially the lead - who also wrote and directed this). This blend of crime drama, humour and real-world observations works to impressive effect. It also brought out something in me in one scene that I've never felt before; I was laughing uproariously whilst being simultaneously disgusted. Yes, I loved this film to bits.
I think it's also worth mentioning that this is a low budget film that uses its money exactly as it should. It's not trying to "reach" for Hollywood style effects or "make the most" at any point. It feels like it cost just what it should have to make the exact film it was trying to be. I'll be getting hold of a copy of this as soon as it's commerically available, and I feel fortunate to have been in that autorium and briefly met the genius behind it. More please, Robert.
I went in expecting a well-acted crime drama as that's what it had been promoted as, but I knew nothing of the plot. And to be honest, I'm not going to spoil it here either, as I think it would lesson your enjoyment. What I will say is that this is a bit like a modern Hitchcock film. That is a description that gets thrown around a lot, and might conjure the wrong idea. What I mean to say is that this is what someone like Hitchcock would be doing if they made films now. Strangers on a Train is the one that comes to mind, but this is really its own beast. It's like Hitchcock without any of the false staginess he could never quite shake. A real-world cool Hitch. It has gripping drama and suspense, an absolutely delicious key hook and so much quick wit and dry humour it kept me grinning throughout. At the same time, it all feels very grounded in reality with genuine emotion and believable characters (and fantastic acting all round, especially the lead - who also wrote and directed this). This blend of crime drama, humour and real-world observations works to impressive effect. It also brought out something in me in one scene that I've never felt before; I was laughing uproariously whilst being simultaneously disgusted. Yes, I loved this film to bits.
I think it's also worth mentioning that this is a low budget film that uses its money exactly as it should. It's not trying to "reach" for Hollywood style effects or "make the most" at any point. It feels like it cost just what it should have to make the exact film it was trying to be. I'll be getting hold of a copy of this as soon as it's commerically available, and I feel fortunate to have been in that autorium and briefly met the genius behind it. More please, Robert.
