till enjoying a successful 8-month run at Austin¼s Dobie Theatre, Hands on a Hard Body is a hilarious look at an East Texas town's annual ritual. Shot exclusively in Longview, Texas, the film focuses on a local car dealership's contest -- a 2-3 day endurance test in which the only rule is that contestants stand with at least one hand resting on a brand new, fully-loaded Toyota truck; the last person standing wins the truck.

Revealing too much about the characters would spoil the suspense, but suffice it to say that many types of Texans are represented: the religious contestant singing hymns aloud as she competes, the seasoned vet who won the contest two years before (who everyone resents for trying again), the rookie who figures his military training has sufficiently prepared him for this challenge, and the nonchalant contender who takes it all in stride while scarfing down Snickers bars. The setting of the contest provides a considerable amount of drama to accompany the down-home hilarity of it all. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Hands on a Hard Body is the way people quickly infuse even the simplest of contests with a host of rules (and even a governing body) to ensure fair play. (Next time you play a board game with your friends, take note of who adheres to the rules of the game and who makes it their mission to identify any deviation from those rules.)

S.R. Bindler, a Longview resident, and his crew really hit paydirt with Hands on a Hard Body, which fulfills all the most grandiose dreams of the personal documentary: It takes even the simplest and silliest human endeavor and reveals it to contain all the tragedy and comedy of Greek drama, Shakespearean theatre, or a least a movie of the week. Look for it in video stores soon.

Chasing the Dream

Hands on a Hard Body

Image of an Assassination