Hold Up
2022 · 14m · USA
Directed by Alex Rollins Berg
Genres: drama
Tones: contemplative, tender
A rushed New York commuter named Graham encounters Hashim, a homeless East African man, on a Harlem subway platform; when he buys him a slice of pizza instead of giving cash, an unexpected and quietly meaningful exchange unfolds.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
It's a kindness film, which usually means treacle—but Berg refuses the redemption arc, refuses the catharsis, refuses to let Graham feel good about himself, and that refusal is what makes it actually subversive.
A two-hander confined to a single platform could be stagey; instead, Berg's framing and the subway's ambient language create a formally precise chamber piece that recalls the restraint of early Koreeda or Haneke.
The decision to shoot the entire exchange in near-real-time with minimal coverage transforms what could've been a montage of small gestures into something that lives in duration—you feel the weight of those fourteen minutes, and that's where the film's entire emotional truth lives.
Reviews
Hold Up is an engaging short film. It's easy to place ourselves in this situation.
Festivals
- HollyShorts Film Festival 2022
- Florida Film Festival 2022
- Tirana International Film Festival 2022
- Romford Film Festival 2022, Audience Award / Best Short Film
- Ignite Film Festival 2022, Best Short Film, Best Actor
- New Renaissance Film Festival 2022, Best International Film