Written and directed by Taylor Paur, co-written by Ethan Paur, Emma has spent her entire life trapped in Fowler’s fundamentalist cult. After a final act of humiliation, she decides to flee. Sam, a fellow member, bound by guilt and defiance, agrees to help her escape. Starring: Ryann Bailey, Steve Luna, Chase Ramsey, Forrie J. Smith, Emerson Alvarez, Pamela Beheshti, Moimoi Gilmore and Cat Hammons.
A lot of the time when you come across a dramatic thriller which has a plot involving cults they follow a pretty straight line. They’re usually all about violence, shock and sinister roots, which is why it’s so interesting to see Taylor Paur and Ethan Paur scale things back with By His Hand and focus on the psychology and behaviours in a quiet manner. They do still give you that enigmatic, tightly wound leader and the double standard of morality and sexuality, but they never truly feel like the focus here. Instead, they use that foundation to delve into very relevant topics of masculinity, misogyny and abuse, especially through the comparison of the cult’s leader Fowler (Steve Luna), and its rebelling member Sam (Chase Ramsey).
The story creates a rumination on male issues with control, power, jealousy and anger when it comes to women. Asking questions about how different are Fowler and Sam really? Where do you draw the line, and is it maybe a lot closer than you think it is? Which is a great conversation to have because many toxic, abusive behaviours have varying levels of visibility. Someone like Fowler with his eccentricities and outwardly aggressive personality may be obvious but with someone like Sam, it might dangerously skate by unnoticed. The subtle skirting of questions, the slowly bubbling temper, the tone sliding down the scale from request to order, the way that the writers portray Sam has a great deal to say.
With that in mind, if you’re not willing to dig a little bit into what By His Hand is giving you and only want to take on face value, you probably won’t get as much out of it. As far as the plot goes, it’s quite light, there isn’t a great deal that happens, there are a few key moments with a lot of strained reflection and quiet contemplation in-between. Those choices may make it a little too slow for some, especially those who might be anticipating something more traditionally dark or intense. Although it is still rife with tension, Taylor Paur’s direction helps to keep a sense of unease going all throughout the film.
Paur employs an understated style for the most part which, with the exception of some heavy-handed fade to black transitions, works well. The cinematography from Trevor Turpin is earnest, there’s a slightly Western-influenced palette to it, a lot of earthy tones that are softened just a little. Visually it’s really consistent, reflecting By His Hand’s overall tone, crafting a pensive, wrought and fractured atmosphere. In the early scenes and those revolving around Fowler, there’s also a nice layer of creepy that slowly evolves into something more unhinged and manic. It can occasionally become a touch too eccentric, but it does give Steve Luna a lot of room to roam with his performance and have a little fun with the character’s intensity and weird, unhinged personality.
Something that’s then put in vast contrast with Ryann Bailey’s Emma, who is intensely naïve, curious and gentle, but she has plenty of strength beneath that. It’s a shame the story doesn’t delve a bit more into her background, how she was born into the cult and what that looked like. Especially as it would have helped to intensify their escape and the danger. Adding more detail is something that By His Hand could have benefited from overall, it leaves a lot to the audience’s imagination.
While Chase Ramsey on the other hand gives a very pent-up performance, it’s filled with frustration and resentment, and a different kind of naivety than we see in Emma. The two of them create an unusual co-dependent relationship, she needs him to escape the cult, and he needs her to fulfil his need to be the knight in shining armour to a damsel in distress, so they can ride off into the sunset together. It’s interesting to watch them slowly figure the other one out as they get further from their life in the cult.
By His Hand strays away from the typical dramatic thriller and instead creates a comment on the male need to control women. Taylor Paur and Ethan Paur’s story has a lot more to say for itself than it seems on the surface, and that requires taking a fairly big risk for indie filmmakers. Putting the focus on those quiet moments and not giving things directly to the audience especially within this genre means that it might not work for everyone but those willing to let it sink in, ask questions and look at the psychology behind it all will enjoy it much more. Although, the plot is still a little too simple, it doesn’t really give enough detail on the bigger picture, and the progression is rather slow, but for a debut feature, it shows a lot of promise and consideration.
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