Little Hands

In the factory, the protests are getting aggressive. The workers are desperate to stop the closure, to protect their jobs. Some of them even threaten the boss' wife Céline (Sandrine Blanche) as she carrues two-year-old Léo (Emile Moulron Lejeune) out to the car, but others call on them to back of. This isn't the fault of the whole family - why frighten a child?

Céline is more worried about what they might do to her husband. Strapping Léo into his car seat, she goes back to try and help. The child is only alone for a couple of minutes, but that's all it takes for Bruno (Jan Hammenecker) to seize him, hoping to use him as a negotiating tool. Of course it's a hopeless plan, but when he realises this, Bruno panics, taking Léo with him and fleeing into nearby woodland.

The bulk of Rémi Allier's Oscar-shortlisted film is played out as a two-hander between the fugitive and the toddler, whose situation is fraught with tension because we never know what further drastic action the former might take. Coaxing an effective performance out of a child this young is a tremendous challenge and careful editing has been used to get the story to cohere, but that's not to detract from Lejeune's natural talent and presence. Allier contrasts the toddler's openness and simple way of thinking with the kidnapper's tortured intensity. Whilst Bruno overthinks everything, Léo can use only those defensive skills that every infant has, deterring violence by offering his captor sympathy and friendship. Along the way he notices something that may explain why Bruno is taking the fate of the factory so personally - something that complicates the underlying moral structure of the film.

Many short films seek to impress themselves on the viewer's mind by making a strong emotional impact. Little Hands is rare in that it uses that impact to do something more, inviting the viewer to rush to judgement in a way that parallels Bruno's poor decision-making. It's also striking in that much of it is approached from Léo's perspective, getting us into his headspace and communicating how different the situation looks to him, with his initial distress giving way to curiosity and a fascination with little details that others might easily overlook.

It should go without saying that parents of young children are likely to find this a distressing watch. It would be difficult to sustain in a longer format but at 15 minutes it makes its point perfectly and does a lot more besides.