How Heavy This Hammer

Life is sliding away from Erwin, a married, middle-aged father of two sons who’s content to waste his days in front of a computer game or fall asleep during family outings. A closed book of a man, he’s unwilling to discuss his laisse-faire tendencies when confronted by his patient wife. But while his dimming joie de vivre is the center of HOW HEAVY THIS HAMMER, director-screenwriter Kazik Radwanski’s sharp use of close-up angles in this character study invites you in to places where Erwin has long faded out. The few sparks of joy he does exude—usually revolving around rugby, beers with his buddies, and childish pranks—shed a glimmer of light on the man he could be. With a perspective as inescapable as the claustrophobia Erwin feels in his everyday life, the camera’s fixation follows him through moving to his own apartment, stumbling through half-hearted dating, and experiencing his shifting relationship with his children. We’re relentlessly tethered to him throughout and, in the midst of crisis, we can’t help but feel a heart-wrenching compassion for a family trying their best to put the pieces back together. –N.D.