A round of applause for Handy!
Can a film based on the events of a hand be successful and not bore the public? Yes, it can!
The two full rooms of the Cinestar I Portali cinema in Catania for the national preview of Handy - The revolt of Sicilian hands and the extension of its screening until May 3 are proof of this. 3100 admissions were recorded in 7 days, surpassing international giants such as Fast and Furious 8. The project was entirely written, produced and directed by a Sicilian director, Vincenzo Cosentino. Already awarded at the Cannes Film Festival for short film The Flip Trip.
It is the director himself, during an intervention prior to the screening of the film, who tells how difficult it was to bring his creature to theaters. The stages and difficulties faced over the course of four long years to develop a project that no one wanted to finance and which he distributed through the crowfounding - a fundraiser in which more than a thousand people took part - as well as the collaboration of the participating cinemas and those who believed in him and supported him at no cost.
What is Handy talking about?
The story is about a hand, Handy precisely, who decides to break away from her master because, not believing in his potential and deeming him too weak, she wants to realize her dream of becoming a writer by herself. During his independence, Handy meets the writer Frank The Black. Masterfully interpreted by Franco Nero. Who lent himself to acting in the film for the trust placed in it and without receiving any compensation. And thanks to his support he decides to embark on a journey. So as to tell all the events of life lived within a novel.
The world seen by Handy
At first glance, the story may seem simple, but it actually conveys several messages:
is a message about the power of love that will push Handy to look for her Manicure around the world. Un message about writing and how important it is to write about what you live every day because, as Frank The Black said in the film "only in this way will readers be able to read the soul of whoever wrote".
It is a message about how difficult it is to realize your dream having to face so many obstacles. After all, the story of Handy is the story of Vincenzo. Doors closed in the face, moments of despair and the desire to give up everything at first; recovery, rebirth and success in a second phase.
It is a message of encouragement to all those who are afraid of failure. Because, if a little hand can make it, then we can all reach the top of the Grand Canyon of our dreams.
And finally, it is a message of solidarity. Handy was born from the collaboration of many friendly hands and the need for support is the strong point of the whole story.
Handy is a very well constructed film, ironic, funny and with a particular attention to detail. But its strength lies in the numerous inputs it is able to launch, in the fact that each of us can draw a little life lesson from it. Entering a cinema full of bitterness for everything that goes wrong in your life and leaving it even just a pinch stronger and willing to fight. This is Handy.
