Hands That Bind

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Hands That Bind

Released Nov 3, 2023

1h 57m

Drama

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100%

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5 Reviews

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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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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