-Written by Kyle Bain.
2024 RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
From My Cold Dead Hands is a disjointed documentary that studies gun culture. With gun laws and the role that they play in our lives under heavy fire over the course of the past couple of decades, Director Javier Horcajada aims to express to his audience the power we wield when we own a gun and the potential risks that come along with that.
From the opening seconds of From My Cold Dead Hands it’s made abundantly clear Horcajada’s stance on gun control–and he never dials it back. If you exist on one side of the political spectrum then this film appeals to you, complimenting and supporting your views with vigor. If you exist on the other side of that same spectrum then From My Cold Dead Hands will feel like a dragging, uncomfortable allegory that looks to combat your stance.
Regardless of what side you exist on, From My Cold Dead Hands feels frantic. Whether you agree or disagree with the things being presented to you throughout the course of From My Cold Dead Hands, the film consists of fractured clips. Surely Horcajada had his work cut out for him attempting to choose only a few dozen videos out of millions to supplement his message and bring his film to life. Curating these videos for his film was certainly the most challenging feat of the entire production–but piecing them together in a more linear (or at least more effective) fashion could have worked heavily in the favor of the overall film.
Some of the many clips featured in From My Cold Dead Hands were truly scary, horrific in nature and they effectively bring this film to life–but then there are those that were laughable, so ridiculous that, regardless of where you stand, you have no choice but to chuckle. I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to shift my opinion on small things: best pizza in town, most talented actors. However, I struggle to find propaganda like this capable of shifting my point of view on many things (if anything for that matter). I’m not the only one that struggles with this–and I believe that documentaries like this are unwarranted as a result. I believe that all From My Cold Dead Hands is capable of doing is further dividing this country. Horcajada isn’t changing many minds, and his efforts feel as if they’ve gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
From My Cold Dead Hands is a documentary meant to divide–because I don’t believe that even Horcajada believes that he’s changing the world with his doc. The reality is that this is propaganda at its worst–attempting to make one group look like idiots while strengthening the beliefs of others along the way. You will either love this film or you will feel attacked–there is no in between. From My Cold Dead Hands is a challenge to get through, as even the pacing needed improvement.
Written & Directed by Javier Horcajada.
2.5/10 = AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS
