Paul Sparks & Bruce Dern in Trailer for Prairie Gothic ‘Hands the Bind’

Paul Sparks & Bruce Dern in Trailer for Prairie Gothic ‘Hands the Bind’

by Alex Billington
October 20, 2023
Source: YouTube

“There’s nothing out there…” “You think you’re better than me?” Dark Sky has revealed an official trailer for an indie small town psychological thriller titled Hands that Bind, from up-and-coming filmmaker Kyle Armstrong. Made in Canada, this film first premiered at the 2021 Calgary Film Festival a few years ago, with a stop at the Vancouver Film Festival also that year. It’s finally getting a small US release this fall after a few years in limbo. A hired hand plans to eventually take over his boss farm are shattered when the landowners son returns to claim his birthright. He watches as his way of life begins slipping right through his fingers… Described by the festival as a “prairie gothic” film that “elevates rural mundanity into something mythical.” The film stars Paul Sparks, Susan Kent, Landon Liboiron, Nicholas Campbell, Will Oldham, with Bruce Dern. This looks pretty good, better than you might be expecting, worth a look if you’re intrigued by the premise. I dig the unsettling mysterious vibe of this whole trailer. And it has a couple of great shots in it.

Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Kyle Armstrong’s Hands the Bind, direct from YouTube:

Hands that Bind is a slow burn prairie gothic drama set in the 1980s in small town Alberta. Andy, a hired farmhand, is dreaming of a better way of life. Andy devotes himself to working another man’s land, trying to establish new roots with his wife Susan and their children, with the hope that this land might one day be his. Those hopes are dashed when his boss’s prodigal son unexpectedly returns. As Andy struggles with his family’s future in an increasingly uncertain world, a darkness settles over the community & mysterious, unsettling events begin to happen. As tensions grow in his relationships, desperation takes hold and his world begins to spiral beyond his control. Watching as his way of life begins slipping through his fingers, and as Andy confronts a changing culture, he’s forced to make decisions that have lasting consequences. Hands that Bind is both written and directed by Canadian indie filmmaker Kyle Armstrong, his second feature after making Until First Light previously. Produced by Blake McWilliam. Dark Sky Films will debut Hands that Bind in select US theaters + on VOD starting November 3rd, 2023 this fall. Who’s interested?

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