WORTH WATCHING

Watch: A Handshake Turns into a Monster in 'Hand in Hand' Short

by Alex Billington
December 2, 2021
Source: Vimeo

A handshake. A simple, peaceful gesture. We all know how to do it (I hope?). But can a handshake turn into something evil? Maybe it can. Hand in Hand is a hilarious 3-minute comedy short from Swiss filmmaker Ennio Ruschetti. There's an impressive amount of storytelling in this in less than 200 seconds of footage. Amazing work. Only a formal handshake separates these two politicians from a sealed contract. When each one tries to outdo the other, something wicked this way comes. Via Vimeo: "What happens next represents the underlying complexities behind such a simple gesture, relating to ego, human error, and silly red tape. Hand in Hand is a smart commentary on governments around the world that will make you laugh at its absurdity and cringe at the fact that this grotesque body horror comedy isn't too far off from reality." This reminds me of Blomkamp's viral videos making fun of politicians. Nothing more to add - just watch & laugh.

Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this. Opening description from Vimeo: "Only a formal handshake separates two politicians from a sealed contract. But as both stubbornly try to gain the upper hand within the gesture, their grim intransigence takes on a monstrous life of its own." Hand in Hand is both written and directed by Swiss filmmaker Ennio Ruschetti - you can follow him on Instagram @ennio_ruschetti. It's produced by the Zürich University of Arts. With cinematography by Rafael Kistler, and VFX by Swiss company Das Alte Lager (co-founded by Ennio Ruschetti) - visit their official website. It was selected for the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, and played at the Neuchâtel Fantastic Film Festival. On his inspiration, Ennio explains he "saw the image of a Cronenberg-esque monster emerging from the handshake and attacking everyone around it in front of me." For more info, visit Vimeo or Das Alte Lager. For more shorts, click here.

Find more posts: Comedy, Short Film, To Watch