Some films subtly creep under your skin, tightening their hold until you realize you’ve been holding your breath. Cruel Hands, directed by Al Kalyk and co-written with Matthew Kalyk, is one of those films. I saw it at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, and although I couldn’t stay for the Q&A afterward, the story has lingered with me.
At a lean seventy-five minutes, Cruel Hands wastes no time. It tells the harrowing story of a mother and her young son fleeing an abusive husband to an isolated farmhouse, only to find themselves trapped between him and a raging brushfire that surrounds them. The setup is simple, but the execution is anything but. Kalyk crafts a film that is part psychological thriller, part survival drama, and entirely unnerving.
The small cast delivers remarkably grounded performances. The mother’s quiet resolve feels heartbreakingly genuine, and the young boy’s innocence adds a delicate humanity that makes the danger even more unbearable. The father—haunting, unpredictable, and threatening—embodies the terrifying persistence of trauma. Each actor contributes to the suffocating tension that steadily builds from the very first scene.
The setting itself feels alive—a character in its own right. The farmhouse and the surrounding brushland heighten the sense of being trapped, their vast emptiness as oppressive as the advancing fire. Kalyk and his cinematographer use the Australian landscape to powerful effect: the wind-blown grass, the shimmering heat, and the relentless smoke almost seem tangible. Nature acts as both captor and witness.
What impressed me most is the film’s structure. Through flashbacks and parallel storylines, Kalyk contrasts the physical and emotional landscapes of abuse and escape, creating a rhythm that feels both dreamlike and horrifyingly real. His direction captures the sensation of being hunted—sometimes by a person, sometimes by memory. The camera lingers just long enough to make you flinch.
Though brief, Cruel Hands feels complete, with each scene pulsing with urgency. It’s intense, suspenseful, and beautifully crafted—proof that a modest budget and small cast can create something cinematic and deeply moving.
I left the theater shaken but in awe. Al Kalyk delivers a raw, compelling film that shows both the terror and the resilience of survival. Cruel Hands isn’t easy to watch, but it’s unforgettable—a haunting reminder of how close the line can be between refuge and danger, love and fear, and ultimately, between destruction and salvation.