Letting hands tell the story
In his documentary film “Hands”, Lebanese filmmaker Eli Souaiby has interviewed a series of women about the worst experience of their lives – pointing the camera exclusively at their hands while they speak
Most people only notice their hands when they fail them – like when dropping a ball or failing to thread a needle. But Eli Souaiby notices hands when people speak; he sees hands as a valuable communication tool that alone can tell a story.
“Hands” is an investigation into Scandinavian life that Eli Souaiby embarked on during a month-long exchange course for Arab filmmakers in Denmark organised by International Media Support (IMS). The exchange was part of IMS’s exchange programme with the National Film School of Denmark where Arab and Danish filmmakers go through an intensive filmmaking workshop together and produce films in each others’ countries to refine their skills.
Newcomer to filmmaking
Eli Souaíby was also a newcomer to filmmaking. Born in Beirut in 1983, he graduated in International Business Management in 2007 and began still photography. In 2009 he participated in a workshop conducted by Arne Bro at the National Film School of Denmark.
– This is my first film. I never used a camera. This is my first interaction. I didn’t know how to start the film, how to do it, how to film it, how to write, he said in an interview with IMS.
Following a weeklong intensive documentary training camp in Copenhagen, Eli Souaiby and other Lebanese filmmakers took their camera to the streets. Eli Souaiby knew he wanted to capture a swatch of Danish culture that would resonate with audiences.
-What I really wanted to investigate was what would someone say…what affects you? Who affects you? What story would you want to speak out and how that story in Copenhagen would be different from a story told in Beirut or anywhere else.
Camera focused on gestures
Eli Souaiby chose a piercing question: what is the worst experience you’ve ever had in your life? The audience listens to each woman’s story with only the visual accompaniment of her hands. A woman with soft and airy hands related the moment when her mother presented divorce papers to her father. The open palm and splayed fingers after her father drops his cherished ornate pipe heightens the drama and the sadness of her story.
Even without seeing their eyes you can sense the tears of these women as they recount the death of a father or the separation from a family. Eli Souaiby revealed that none of the women had ever told their story before their moment in front of the camera. For him, this collection of secrets spoke to a Danish penchant for introversion.
‘Hands’ acts as an anthropological tool for Eli Souaiby :
– I’m observing, I’m not judging. I’m just looking for an answer for the time being for where I am.
Whether in Copenhagen or Beirut, this filmmaker will certainly continue to use his keen eye in uncovering answers and human truths through film.
