Review by Mike Martin
Stars Alexandre Carril, Victor Carril, Anaïs Demoustier, Samir Harrag, Katrin Saß, Fernando Ramallo, Patrick Hauthier, Maya Borker, Michel Grateau, Oswaldo Parma
Written by Pascal-Alex Vincent & Martin Drouot
Certification UK 15 | Argentina 16
Runtime 80 minutes
Directed by Pascal-Alex Vincent
Brothers have been a pretty rich source of film stories, from The Krays to A Simple Plan, Cassandra’s Dream to real-life brothers such as the Quaids and the Bridges portraying themselves in fictional stories. Here a pair of twins, Quentin and Antoine, are played by identical twins Alexandre and Victor Carril, and the film consists of portraying their symbiotic relationship. It’s a slow burn, but beautifully detailed and ultimately uplifting.
The two boys are on a road trip, hiking from France to Spain to attend the funeral of the mother they never knew. All we know for sure is that they live with their father in a bakery, and lead a pretty miserable existence – the reason for their mother’s absence is never revealed however. As they walk, hike, hitch rides and jump trains we see them fight, squabble and moan at each other in a way only real brothers can.
We also slowly see the differences between the two – Quentin is outgoing, gregarious and likeable, and annoys his brother with his Jewish harp. Antoine prefers to sketch and draw – the film actually opens with a two-minute animated scene in which we see Quentin jumping across a train track and pretending to be killed. A fight ensues – not the last one we will see. The first cracks appear when they hitch a ride and are joined by Clementine (Demoustier), who jumps all over Quentin, apparently to his brother’s disgust. Then they are picked up by a couple of young girls and lots of wine-drinking and sex ensues – but it is quite possible this is some sort of dream sequence.
When they both get a job on a farm to raise the cash for the train, the real split appears – Antoine is gay. He finds a partner, but when he is forced to choose he still prefers the company of his twin. When fate intervenes and they are actually forced apart, it’s a race against time for them both to get to the funeral. Give Me Your Hand is very much a mood piece, with some amazing sequences combining gorgeous photography and a moody but telling soundtrack as the lads walk through some pretty scenery. Twins don’t seem to need to say much to each other, communicating through body language more than words, but this is a highly watchable and tender look at the strength these hopeless men draw from each other. The twins themselves pull no punches, and the supporting cast are also on top form, especially Katrin Sass as a sympathetic ear on a train. Meandering and slow it may be, but this has real beauty and power in its compact 80 minutes.