Ever felt like you just didn’t quite fit in? In Charlie Graley’s Crazy Hands, a man wakes up one morning to find his hands afflicted by a debilitative shaking that makes his everyday routine impossible. As he rides his bike into town, his hands drag him into awkward situations where he struggles to maintain a level of normalcy. When he finally reaches his breaking point and has given up on trying to fight it, through mere chance he finds a cure and discovers his ailment to be the gift he’s been waiting for.

There’s no real dialogue in the film—just vocal grunts and noises to get the emotional message across. Lead actor, David Schneider, does an amazing job portraying what is really two roles—the man with his desperation to maintain control and his hands in their uncontrollable wickedness. The physical conflict with oneself is a fascinating way to tell a story, but by no means new. In fact, Crazy Hands is more of a return to the earliest form of film comedy with similarities to the early silent comedies by Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

The story is both fresh and familiar. We’re all looking to find our place in the world—and sometimes it takes fumbling through many awkward moments to get there. Perhaps it was your awkward teenage years or your wandering post-college days, there are moments where we struggle to find our place in this world. Crazy Hands reminds us that no matter how bizarre we may seem to others, there is a purpose and a calling for us out there.

Thanks to director, Charlie Graley, for submitting the film.