Les petites mains (2017)

Leo, 2, is the son of the acting manager of a chemical plant. When employees find out that the direction is about to close the factory, Bruno, a more radical worker, kidnaps Leo to negotiate ...

Director:

Rémi Allier

Writers:

Rémi Allier (screenplay), Julien Guetta (co-writer)

Stars:

Emile Moulron Lejeune, Jan Hammenecker, Steve Driesen

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Emile Moulron Lejeune	...	Léo
Jan Hammenecker	...	Bruno
Steve Driesen	...	François Trémin
Sandrine Blancke	...	Céline Trémin
Pascal Bernagaud	...	Didier
Frédéric Guerbert	...	Laurent
Paul Laurent	...	Stéphane
Mario Dragunsky	...	Mario
Pauline Blais	...	Pauline
Hubert Hazane	...	Hubert
Eric Delmares	...	Eric
Camille Fleury-Létienne	...	Doublure Léo

Storyline

Leo, 2, is the son of the acting manager of a chemical plant. When employees find out that the direction is about to close the factory, Bruno, a more radical worker, kidnaps Leo to negotiate ...

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Plot Keywords:

factory | worker | baby | baby boy | breaking a car window | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

If you pause during the wider shot, in the running scene, you can notice that the baby is actually having a lot of fun. The sound editing and use of long focal length makes us believe he is into major distress.

User Reviews

bad decision

Greetings again from the darkness. Staging a kidnapping is one of the quickest ways to create cinematic tension. When that kidnapping involves a toddler, the emotions and tensions fly off the charts. With only his third film, writer-director Remi Allier won France's Cesar Award for Best Short Film. Mr. Allier co-wrote the film with Julien Guetta and Gilles Monnat, and their film will have you on the edge of your seat for the full 15 minute run time.

We first see emotions erupting during labor negotiations between the workers' Union and the shareholders of a factory that is being shut down. The negotiations are raucous, and the factory manager's wife (on site for some inexplicable reason) decides its best if she takes their toddler son Leo home. In the blink of an eye, a mother's poor decision leads to an even worse spontaneous decision by Bruno, one of the frantic workers.

Screen vet Jan Hammenecker plays Bruno, and Emile Moulron Lejeune is little Leo. Much of what happens next is shown from the toddler's point of view, and it's the faces of Leo and Bruno that tell the story ... very little dialogue is heard after the opening sequence.

Director Allier's film displays class disparity and how emotions can lead to decisions so bad that lives are forever altered. Some of the camera work here is excellent, and the tension as a viewer is at maximum capacity.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

April 2017 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

As Pequenas Mãos

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Grand Huit, Wrong Men North, Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

15 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1