Alex and the Handyman is a 14-minute short film released in 2017, directed and written by Nicholas Colia. It gained recognition during its festival run, including a premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival's ShortFest. Plot Summary
Young Alex nodded. “Yeah. The landlord said you’d come by.”
Final VerdictAlex and the Handyman is a beautifully shot, expertly acted short that isn't afraid to be uncomfortable. It’s an "appealingly twisted" look at loneliness and the lengths to which a child will go for validation. Alex and the Handyman (Short 2017) - IMDb alex and the handyman 2017mkv
Location: [Unknown]
“It’s the upstairs unit,” Jorge said after probing the pipes, thumbs turning like small anchors. “I can patch this, tighten that. Won’t be pretty forever, but it’ll stop.” He worked with a steady rhythm: tighten, test, listen. Alex watched from the edge of the kitchen, folding and unfolding his hands as though that might make them less useless. Alex and the Handyman is a 14-minute short
Dark Satire: The film is noted for its "twisted" humor, drawing comparisons to the works of Todd Solondz (who is thanked in the credits).
The plot of the film is deceptively simple. Alex, a withdrawn young boy, finds himself drifting through the monotony of his daily life, seemingly overlooked by his immediate surroundings. His trajectory shifts when an African-American handyman arrives to perform repairs on his family home. The narrative tension is not derived from dramatic conflict, but rather from the slow-building curiosity and respect Alex develops for the worker. The handyman, played with a reserved dignity by actor Jovan Adepo, becomes an inadvertent father figure. He does not coddle Alex; instead, he treats him with a professional respect that the boy is clearly starving for. “Yeah
Acclaimed Directing: The short was awarded 1st Place King Award at the NYU First Run Film Festival.
Alex thought of Jorge’s crooked business card, his steady hands, the stairwell conversation, the elevator’s last cough. He thought of the leak that had cracked open the night his life had been a little too tidy. He realized the project had done something to him: it had taught him to stay.