In Ziyad Saadi's 11-minute short film Hand Job, a man (Christian Thom) develops a psycho-sexual attraction to a housewife while interviewing her about a triple homicide she committed.

An intriguing experimental short film that is, for the most part, effective in its mission, Hand Job is faithful to its name but not in the ways that you might expect from the film's provocative title. As our housewife begins to realize that her interviewer is feeling an attraction that it is apparent she also feels, Saadi does a nice job of building a sort of tension between the two performers yet manifesting it in original ways that will appeal mostly to those who can appreciate more non-traditional cinema.

Jorge Palomo's music helps matters along quite nicely, while D.P. Neal Todnem lenses the film in such a way that the drama heightens and tension is built even within the limited framework of Saadi's unique storytelling.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic