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Hands That Bind

Play trailer Poster for Hands That Bind Released Nov 3, 2023 1h 57m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Hands that Bind is a slow burn prairie gothic drama set in the 1980s in small town Alberta. Andy, a hired farmhand, is dreaming of a better way of life. Andy devotes himself to working another man's land, trying to establish new roots with his wife Susan and their children, with the hope that this land might one day be his. Those hopes are dashed when his boss's prodigal son unexpectedly returns. As Andy struggles with his family's future in a world that is increasingly uncertain, a darkness settles over the community and mysterious, unsettling events begin to happen around him. As tensions grow in his relationships, desperation takes hold and Andy's world begins to spiral beyond his control. He watches as his way of life begins slipping through his fingers, and as Andy confronts a changing culture, he's forced to make decisions that will have lasting consequences.
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Hands That Bind

Critics Reviews

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Anne T. Donahue Globe and Mail An exercise in mental and emotional claustrophobia, Kyle Armstrong’s new Canadian drama Hands that Bind succeeds beautifully at examining the social trappings of toxic masculinity, poverty and the desperation created by both. Nov 1, 2023 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies There’s so much going on underneath the slow-cooking narrative and beyond the spellbinding cinematography.... And it’s those unexpected creative strokes that ultimately give the movie its kick. Rated: 4/5 Nov 9, 2023 Full Review Nathaniel Muir AIPT Slow burn deep dives into characters are a hard sell. Hands That Bind tries to have it both ways by examining the people involved, but never making things overly complicated. The end result is a film that seems to want to say more than it actually does. Nov 4, 2023 Full Review Anne Brodie What She Said Tough family drama on the remote farmlands of Alberta, strange goings-on comment on the characters’ chaos. Kyle Armstrong shot the film where he grew up, shows deep understanding of that rural world, and brings a Gothic doomsday vibe. Rated: 3/4 Nov 3, 2023 Full Review Chris Knight Original Cin Creepy and spellbinding, the Prairie Gothic film Hands That Bind manages to weave dreamlike images with an actual plot. I was reminded of Jordan Peele’s Nope more than once, and also of Jonathan Glazer’s excellent sci-fi horror Under the Skin. Rated: A-minus Nov 2, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Brian K A slow but engaging, well filmed and acted, rural drama that takes place in the early 1970s in Alberta, Canada, that slowly devolves into elements of the supernatural and/or mental breakdown, which, while generally well done, the story telling starts to make little sense in an attempt to be mysterious, and dark emotions prevail in an attempt to be meaningful. In other words, the bones of a very good movie are never really developed and complex social and emotional elements are let go of in favour of simplistic nihilism. Rural life might be hard at times, but this film exploits that difficulty to make a gothic fantasy, instead of shining any light on rural farm life in any meaningful way. Worth seeing for the cinematography and acting, and IF you can tolerate darkening stories. Albeit for me, the too-fractured storytelling somewhat sours the experience. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Kyle Armstrong

Director

Paul Sparks

Andy Hollis

Susan Kent

Susan Hollis

Landon Liboiron

Dirk Longridge

Nicholas Campbell

Mac Longridge

Will Oldham

Barkeep

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Movie Info

Synopsis Hands that Bind is a slow burn prairie gothic drama set in the 1980s in small town Alberta. Andy, a hired farmhand, is dreaming of a better way of life. Andy devotes himself to working another man's land, trying to establish new roots with his wife Susan and their children, with the hope that this land might one day be his. Those hopes are dashed when his boss's prodigal son unexpectedly returns. As Andy struggles with his family's future in a world that is increasingly uncertain, a darkness settles over the community and mysterious, unsettling events begin to happen around him. As tensions grow in his relationships, desperation takes hold and Andy's world begins to spiral beyond his control. He watches as his way of life begins slipping through his fingers, and as Andy confronts a changing culture, he's forced to make decisions that will have lasting consequences.
Director
Kyle Armstrong
Producer
Blake McWilliam
Screenwriter
Kyle Armstrong
Distributor
Dark Sky Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 3, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 3, 2023
Runtime
1h 57m
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