Hath No Man

I had the chance to screen some awesome short films this week, including Hath No Man, which will have its NHFF debut during the "Knocking on Devil's Door" group of films (called a show), July 13th @ 6:45pm. 

I cannot recommend this movie highly enough, I hope you all get to check it out! 

Hath No Man

Dir. Linus Koh

Hath No Man is an immediately engrossing film. In fifteen minutes, it does what other films cannot do in two hours: approximate war’s immediacy, vicserality, and even something of the spiritual. The film revolves around two soldiers, Pascal (William Emmons) and John (Lliam Murphy), and the image of hands on a rosary. The meaning of that image changes each time it is shown, and while revealing those shifts here would spoil the film, they demonstrate a masterful attention to detail and story.

There is nothing “student” about this film, nor do the characters feel like “short film” characters. They have histories and unspoken understandings, communicated in impressively nuanced dialogue and performances. The depth of Pascal and John’s characterization is all the more remarkable considering there are only three minutes of dialogue in the fifteen minute movie. Subtle movements, like the edge in John’s words or Pascal’s Gregory Peck/George Clooney smile, are all-important in expressing the soldiers’ intimate, rambunctious bond. This is to say nothing of the cinematography that turns flying particles, weeds, and dirty faces into things of beauty.

For anyone who is as bored as I am with ironic hipster nonsense, this is the film that will wake you up: the one that treats life with the fresh, honest engagement it deserves, without devolving into melodrama. It is the kind of film that reminded me why I love movies, and while I could write pages about it, the words that resonated through my mind after watching were simply “this is what film can do.”

To purchase tickets for "Knocking on the Devil's Door," (where Hath No Man will screen), follow this link.