"You could say The Guatemalan Handshake is about a pregnant
young woman (Sheila Scullin) with a broken arm, a boyfriend (Will Oldham)
gone walkabout and a dream to drive in the demolition derby. However accurate,
it doesn't begin to describe the unusual flavors and oddball charm of Todd
Rohal's eccentric little comedy. Imagine a trivial but oddly enchanting
sister city to Blue Velvet in a benign universe, specifically
a small Pennsylvania town in the shadow of Three Mile Island. Rohal's offbeat
characters aren't always served by a supporting cast populated by eager
amateurs powering through on pure enthusiasm, and his budgetary constraints
force him into a deadpan style against which his circuitous plotting and
freewheeling storytelling strain. But this sweet nothing has invention and
personality to spare, not to mention marvelous mysteries, quirky connections
and cockeyed running gags that Rohal effortlessly weaves into the design
of the crazy-quilt comedy." (Seattle Post-Intelligencier) Oh, and
the film has nothing to do with Guatemala. Rohal won the Best Director prize
for the film at last year's Torino Film Festival. 35mm Cinemascope.
more
at ghandshake.com
2006, color, 1 hour 37 minutes, USA