Benny Klarin’s short film ‘Cold Hand’ is a playful paradox – a high-stakes poker game played with deadpan absurdity, wrapped in a rich, film-noir aesthetic. In just 4 minutes, Klarin and cinematographer Andruw Saunders craft a film set in the 1940s, neatly reconstructed and laced with a mischievous, modern charm.
Greer (Elliot Handkins), Cass (Fatiha Alam), and Quinn (Maureo Ruffin) are locked in a ruthless battle of wits over a game of Texas Hold’em. The black-and-white cinematography bathes and every glance calculated for maximum tension. The poker table might as well be a battlefield – each card reveal delivered with the ruthless gravity. But beneath the drama, ‘Cold Hand’ refuses to take itself too seriously. The tension simmers, yet there’s an undercurrent of absurdity in every move, a comedy hidden in its noir pastiche.
Despite its low budget, the film is a technically solid. Saunders’ cinematography is crisp, the framing deliberate and evocative. The jazz-inspired score juxtaposes the suspense -but every sigh and bet placed feels weighty. Klarin understands noir, but he also knows how to twist it. His direction ensures that the three leads are more than archetypes; their chemistry is entertaining, their performances lean into the film’s theatricality without overplaying the joke.
An homage to classic noir but with its own sly, self-aware edge, ‘Cold Hand’ is a stylish, finely crafted low-budget short that plays its hand with precision. A worthy watch.
