"(T)hugs"

31 August 2016

2 mins 18s

Keeping shtum would be a crime.

This is the full-length version of director Klaas Diersmann's award-winning entry at the ADCAN Awards we covered recently. Working off a brief from suicide prevention charity CALM, Diersmann crafts a hard man thriller with a soft centre.

A ride in the boot, and the classic gaffer tape and rope combination doesn't suggest good times ahead for this poor chap, especially when Mr. Big and his two equally well-proportioned cronies loom over him in an ominously isolated warehouse (the worst kind of warehouse).

Yet this isn't Brick Top he's dealing with. Instead, his 'captor' offers a cup of tea, a biscuit, and - most importantly - someone who'll listen. Gangster films often feature some variation of the line, "You'd better start talking" and this is the most kindly version to date.

Gritty enough to get you worried for the protagonist and relieved at his eventual 'rescue', the film rings true with its emphasis on communication rising above preconceived notions of masculinity. The charity's concern for vulnerable men under the age of forty-five is communicated in a way that will spark more than just a conversation.

UK

Charities