Jason Sondhi
An unusual pick for us in some ways, I Held Him is an incredibly simple film. Yet there is a profound boldness to that simplicity. The way that the straightforwardness of the premise reflects and challenges stubbornly entrenched concepts of masculinity, friendship, and intimacy, creates a fascinating tension—the effect of viewing the short as it pushes and manipulates your own bias is as twist-filled as any mystery-box thriller.
The film is only 7 minutes and it is best to view it cold. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Ready for spoilers? I Held Him is a film about two male friends in a living room. Wordlessly, one friend can tell his companion is in emotional pain. He invites him to the couch to be held, and his friend assents. That’s it, that’s the film!
I searched for images of straight men platonically holding or caressing each other, and I couldn’t find any.
And yet, throughout the runtime, I was wonderfully engrossed. Hans Augustave, a Haitian-American filmmaker, masterfully directs the scene via framing, deliberative pacing, and a gloriously resonant voiceover. The simplicity of the piece must not be confused with naivete—Augustave is keenly aware of the taboo of platonic male intimacy and utilizes that stigma to his advantage, playfully manipulating the audience at each step.
The film feints at comedy. My mind was brought to A Reasonable Request as an (altogether more outrageous) analog, or, from earlier this month, Shoes Off which also mines the comedic potential of hetero, male affection. Augustave draws out the silence of the friends in such an exaggerated fashion, that it, alongside the solemnity of the voiceover creates a nervous tension that feels like it’s begging for comedy to break.
Yet, it is met with sincerity, and the effect of said sincerity is so sweet and so natural that it causes the viewer to internally interrogate why it felt like such a fantastical option.
Brian Teague Williams and Alphonso Walker Jr. as the two friends in the film.
In discussing the inspiration for the film, Augustave tells us that, while going through a tough time, he found “a beautiful image of a mother holding her child and thought how amazing it would feel to be held in that moment.” Yet, he started to wonder what people do in times when they need platonic physical intimacy, noting that he felt as though his female and queer friends had such access, but that he, as a straight black male, did not. “I searched for images of straight men platonically holding or caressing each other, and I couldn’t find any. So I decided if I couldn’t find that image, I would create it.”
I Held Him is the result, and I am a fan, both of the tonal adventure that Augustave is able to induce in viewers, but also, as a simple message to the world that I am happy to endorse. On this point, Augustave optimistically reflects, “Maybe after watching my film, there could exist a slightly better chance that a man would reach out to his friend in time of need and ask for or offer his lap or shoulder to cry on.”