Movie Reviews

‘Hands That Bind’ review: Gothic prairie drama from Canada

Home on the range.

November 2, 2023

Hands That Bind is a slow burn gothic drama set in 1980s Alberta. Andy (Paul Sparks, The Lovebirds) is a hired farmhand that has been working with the hope that one day that land he is taking care of will one day be his. Those hopes are ruined when his boss’s son Dirk (Landon Liboiron, Come True) unexpectedly returns. This sets off a chain of events that will have lasting consequences.

The film is a deep exploration of Andy and the many themes that are surrounding his life. In order to get a full understanding of his motivations, Hands That Bind moves at a patient pace. What was once an idyllic life for him has become filled with paranoia and resentment. At the core of it all is his constant internal struggle of what it is to be a man.

Sparks is not left to carry the entire film on his own, however. The rest of the cast do an excellent job of fleshing out the world of Hands That Bind. It is harsh, paranoid, and eerie. This all ties together to create an oppressive atmosphere. This is especially important as it papers over some of the weaker parts of the story.

Hands That Bind suffers from being a little too straightforward. The fantastic cinematography that is encapsulated perfectly in the opening hints at a beauty and depth that the writing is never able to reach. Writer-director Kyle Armstrong tackles deep themes that sometimes do not carry the gravity they should.

Slow burn deep dives into characters can be a hard sell. They take on tough subjects and the writing requires an introspection and understanding of the characters that people do not always want from their movies. 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.