You are here:

Hand Gestures

Name: Hand Gestures
Director: Francesco Clerici
Released: 2015
Duration: 77 min

Representation Score

1.6/10

Minimal

2015

Director

Francesco Clerici

Runtime

77 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Hand Gestures is a purely observational documentary that prioritizes the tactile transformation of matter over human narrative. By focusing on the technicalities of bronze casting at a historic Milanese foundry, the film bypasses the character-driven narratives necessary to explore social identities. Because the work functions as a study of craftsmanship and historical continuity, it lacks the dialogue and social conflict required for meaningful representation. The film is a technical documentation of an industrial process rather than a vehicle for social or cultural critique.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Hand Gestures have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses entirely on the mechanical and artistic processes of bronze casting. It contains no romantic subplots or explorations of LGBTQ+ identity.

How does Hand Gestures portray gender?

Fair

The documentary depicts a traditional artisanal environment centered on manual labor. It maintains a neutral stance without explicitly reinforcing or challenging gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Hand Gestures?

Minimal

The narrative is confined to a specific localized institution in Milan. There is no indication of a diverse cast or representation of different racial backgrounds.

How does Hand Gestures represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film celebrates Western craftsmanship and the historical preservation of the lost-wax technique. It emphasizes continuity of tradition rather than deconstructive cultural frameworks.

Does Hand Gestures include disability representation?

Minimal

The focus remains on the physical dexterity and gestures of skilled laborers. There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Present on Screen

Celebrates the preservation of ancient, traditional Western craftsmanship.
Provides a deep, observational look at historical industrial continuity.

Limited or Absent

Lacks the narrative infrastructure to engage with diverse social identities.
Provides no platform for exploring multi-layered or progressive representation.

Official Synopsis

A bronze foundry in Milan. Hands that shape, knead, model, mix, repair, sand and polish. Work carried out on matter and fire, out of which the bronze figure of a dog by artist Velasco Vitali will ultimately emerge. The Fonderia Artistica Battaglia was founded in 1913 and is one of the oldest and most important artistic foundries in Italy. It produces bronze sculptures using lost-wax casting, a founding technique that dates back to the 4th century BC and is still done in much the same way today. The film draws on a purely observational mode. It is the hands and their gestures that link us to the world and create a connecting line from the past to the present.

How are these scores produced? →