Writer and Director: Javier Horcajada Fontecha
The first movie ever made ended with an act of violence- a gun being fired towards the viewer. The documentary From My Cold Dead Hands opens the same way- someone firing a gun with one hand and using the other to play the American national anthem on a trumpet. In this way writer/ director Javier Horcajada Fontecha establishes a connection which runs throughout the documentary between guns, America and stupidity.
The title is a reference to a statement Charlton Heston made while acting as spokesperson for the National Rifle Association- “I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.” A film clip of Heston’s speech features in the documentary but in the main footage is taken from videos on the internet.
Unlike, say, Michael Moore, director Javier Horcajada Fontecha does not editorialise or set up a pro and con debate or even include statistics on gun fatalities in schools. Rather he strives to demonstrate the sheer excessiveness and ridiculous nature of gun ownership using the words of the owners themselves. It also demonstrates the distorted perception of gun owners who seem to regard their obsession as an exaggerated form of cosplay and fail to acknowledge the potential for harm.
The tone taken by the director is light but in this he is emulating the source material. Many of the clips have the defensive ‘stop being so serious it’s just a bit of a joke’ tone people use when saying something they know is offensive. Flamethrowers are used to clear snow; bacon is cooked by being wrapped around a hot gun barrel and things that you can say to a gun but not to a woman – I’m trading you in for a newer model- are chucklingly debated.
There are Jackass style accidents with gun users knocked over by rifle recoil, burnt by hot shell casings dropping down a blouse or even wounded after failing to store their weapon safely. Good heart-warming stuff.
God, is, of course, in favour of gun ownership with several commentators explaining The Almighty is not a pacifist, and the Bible supports the right to defence.
Some of the examples are so extreme as to make one wonder if they are really intended to be comedic. Dating advice includes showing a guest where guns are concealed in the house, so they feel safe and able to repel a home invasion. The difficulty using public toilets while carrying a weapon is considered part of a conspiracy against gun owners. Incredibly, there are a few examples giving advice on the best weapons to use in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse.
All aspects of modern consumerism are covered. There are romantic style sequences and pornographic ones. There are options to buy merchandise like engraved bullets or guns designed for women- a compact 9 millimetre what every girl needs.
Sequences featuring children are particularly disturbing. A pair of lovable tykes advertise the features of their local gun store. An obedient child is rewarded with his very own bullet proof vest while another strips down weapons while blindfolded. An alphabet colouring book offers gems like ‘A is for Assault Rifle’, ‘C is for Compliance which no-one should support’.
From My Cold Dead Hands makes serious points in an amusing manner. It gives the impression of gun owners living in an enclosed bubble, able to regard their fetish as a jokey hobby and not acknowledge its lethal potential. Viewers based in the UK may feel smugly judgmental but the childish obsession with guns is hardly limited to the USA. The great statesman Boris Johnson spent the dying days of his premiership indulging in Tom Cruise fantasies including firing massive guns.
From My Cold Dead Hands is screening at the Raindance Film Festival runs from 19 – 28 June in London cinemas.
