Hold Your Hand (2023)

February 1964 opens with the Beatles scheduled to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show in New York City, and in Maplewood, New Jersey a close-knit cohort of high school friends turns that national moment into a single, feverish objective. Janis Goldman and Susan Kendall Newman sit on opposing ends of the debate over the British group; Susan, a folk-music purist, vocally disdains the new craze while Janis drifts between curiosity and skepticism. Their classmates Rosie Petrofsky, Wendie Jo Sperber, Pam Mitchell, and Nancy Allen respond with different mixtures of excitement and mischief. Grace Corrigan, determined and audacious, plans to turn the frenzy into an opportunity; she plots to get exclusive photographs of the band and recruits Larry DuBois, whose family gives him access to limousines, to help her. Tony Smerko, a wary and conflicted teenager who shares Grace's hometown circle, joins some of the schemes despite his disdain for the Fab Four.

On the morning of February 9 the group converges in Manhattan, drawn to the hotel where the Beatles are staying and the Ed Sullivan Theater, already vibrating with screaming fans. Grace and Rosie slip into the hotel service elevator during the crush, moving up the building while trying to stay unseen. Grace rides higher, stepping off on the eleventh floor and pressing forward through corridors that smell of cheap perfume and cigarette smoke. Rosie threads herself toward the band's suite, ducking past a security guard and following the swell of excited voices. Pam hides in a basement closet when the group first sets out for the theater; she stays behind to watch movements aboveground and later returns to the hotel, where she conceals herself under John Lennon's bed after the Beatles come back to their room, holding her breath and watching the scene unfold from that cramped vantage.

Inside the hotel, a security guard signals that backstage access is for sale to the highest bidder. Grace tries to buy her way in, offering money and promises, and she begins to imagine a staged ruse that would let her photograph the group in private. She settles on a desperate plan to impersonate a sex worker's replacement in order to place a camera close to one of the rooms; the intention is to capture an intimate image she can exploit for notoriety or sale. She prepares to enact that role, stepping into the brittle theater of the hotel's underworld, and a client arrives whose resistance makes the episode dangerous. The man pushes back when Grace attempts to execute the scheme. Larry, who has been drinking in the hotel bar and pacing as the events escalate, sees the altercation erupt and rushes in. He knocks the man unconscious to free Grace from the situation, hauling her away before security can restore order. The rescue thwarts Grace's financial contingency, leaving her with the thrill of proximity but without the payoff she had hoped to earn.

Outside the hotel's bustle, Janis meets Peter Plimpton, a shy boy who has been angling to see the program but faces barriers at home. Peter's father imposes conditions for a coveted set of three tickets; one of the concessions the father demands is that Peter first get a haircut and meet other small, domestically imposed requirements before he may attend. Seeing Peter's earnestness, Janis decides to help secure seats for him and for herself. She recruits Tony to lift tickets from Peter's father's possessions; Tony agrees, not for the affection of the experience but because he wants to sabotage the televised broadcast if the moment affords the opportunity. The two of them break into the unguarded space where Peter's father keeps items of value, take tickets, and divide them so Janis, Peter, and Tony each end up with admission to the show. Peter clutches his ticket with a boyish, awed smile; Janis and Tony keep theirs for their separate motives.

A radio disc jockey in the city launches another avenue for attendance by giving away tickets to callers who answer trivia about the Beatles. Rosie, relentless and eager, manages to get through on-air; she answers the questions correctly and wins two tickets. She holds those as a prize to be used for herself and a friend. Pam, whose engagement to a man named Eddie has been weighing on her, faces a choice that morning. Eddie arrives to collect her as planned; he has come in his suit, determined to set the wedding plans in motion. Pam tells him she is not ready to marry him; she leaves him behind in his disappointment and hurries toward the theater. A road manager--one of the Beatles' crew, a figure who knows the circuits of access--recalls a day months earlier when he had given Pam a spare ticket and now produces that same gesture of familiarity. Neil Aspinall's road manager, passing by, hands Pam a ticket he once offered before; she takes it and runs.

As afternoon deepens into the hours before the broadcast, tensions and schemes multiply. Larry parks his family's limousine in a narrow back alley to stage a quick ingress or escape. The alley becomes an improvisational staging area: fans cluster, cab drivers shout, and police officers try to enforce order. The limousine is an asset, and Grace uses it as part of the plan to get closer to the Beatles. A policeman appears, threatening to arrest Larry for improper parking and lacking paperwork. Grace produces cash and bribes the officer to look the other way, paying off the immediate threat to the vehicle and the group but spending much of her available funds in the process. With the money gone, she bends forward briefly in despair, coated in the grime and sweat of the day, and Larry later sees the slump in her demeanor and offers to take her to the school's upcoming Valentine's Day dance as consolation, proposing the shorter, gentler mission of a normal teenage date in place of the risk she has been taking.

Back on the theater roof, Tony's plan takes shape in a wholly different register. He seizes a fire axe from a stairwell and climbs the service stairs to the theater's roof, intent on reaching the broadcast transmitter. He believes that by disabling the transmitter he can choke the live airing--an act of iconoclastic revenge against the cultural juggernaut he loathes and a way to assert agency against what he sees as manufactured hysteria. Janis, catching wind of his intent, chases him up the stairs and onto the rooftop, calling his name and pleading with him to come down. Tony shoulders the axe and walks toward the transmitter box, his face hard with resolve; Janis runs after him and tries to reason and to physically restrain him. A thunderstorm rolls over the city while they struggle; lightning courses across the sky. As Janis grapples with Tony near the metal structure, a strike of electricity arcs through the atmosphere and slams into the area around the transmitter. The bolt startles and throws Tony; he is knocked away from the equipment and plunges from the rooftop. He falls into the void below; the narrative records the fall as an abrupt, violent end to his attempt, and those who witness it are left reeling. Emergency personnel tend to the scene afterward, but the screenplay and the on-screen events do not show him regaining his former plans to interfere with the broadcast. Janis, shaken and breathless from the encounter, remains on the roof as rain soaks her hair and clothes.

Inside the theater itself, the backstage and the aisles are a roiling mass. Rosie, with her two radio-won tickets, meets up with friends and moves as near as she can to the stage. Janis, Peter, and Tony's tickets grant them passage to the crowd, even as Tony's rooftop act has left him absent or incapacitated; the tickets themselves place both the honest and the furtive among the sea of faces. Pam arrives with the road manager's ticket and squeezes into the audience, watching the stage lights and the swelling drumbeat, feeling something like liberation from the earlier domestic pressure. Grace, having spent the last of her money on the policeman to preserve Larry's limo, has to rely on improvisation now. She leans against the black vinyl interior of the car, counting the seconds until the band's arrival and calculating the final gambit that will get her the photographs she wants.

As Ed Sullivan's cameras roll and the show opens, the crowd inside the theater seizes on the music; the Beatles perform and the nation watches. Outside in the alley, a stampede of fans surges toward anything connected to the band. Through the chaos and the confusion, the Beatles find themselves moved away from the theater's main entrance; in the pressure of the crowd and the quick decision-making of their handlers, they are steered into the nearest waiting vehicle. That vehicle is Larry DuBois's limousine, parked in the alley because of the earlier hasty maneuvering. Security ushers the four musicians into the car; Larry, who has not expected to find the group inside, sits frozen behind the wheel as the mob closes in around the vehicle with screams and shoves. Grace, who stands nearby with a camera, recognizes the opportunity without hesitation. She leans into the open door, sliding her camera into place, and begins to take photographs as the Beatles, startled and smiling, look toward the crowd. The band members--John, Paul, George, and Ringo--appear for an instant as if inside an intimate, moving portrait taken by an unexpected witness.

The moment in the limousine is quick and chaotic. Fans press against the windows, shouting names and surging toward the vehicle as if to touch the pop figures. The Beatles exchange rapid glances, polite and wary, as their handlers try to move the car through the crush. Larry, trying to keep control, navigates the narrow alley while a policeman's presence looms nearby; the earlier bribe buys a delay in enforcement, and the limo threads through fans toward the street. Grace snaps photograph after photograph, fingers slippery with rain when the storm returns. Rosie and Pam, both inside and outside the theater at different points, experience the shared aftershocks of their proximity: Rosie's two radio tickets have placed her near the stage, Pam's road manager ticket has granted her a seat where she can watch the edgier currents of the crowd, and Janis, who managed to secure a ticket for Peter by the theft she orchestrated, sees Peter's face become a map of awe as the broadcast plays. The camera shots Grace gets are close, raw, and personal; they capture the celebrities in a way that her prior schemes had only imagined.

After the Beatles are driven away in the limo, the group of teenagers disperses into the city, carrying with them the consequences and the souvenirs of the day. Larry, who has been drinking at the bar earlier and who faced a threatened arrest in the alley, breathes in the aftermath as the adrenaline calms. He tells Grace he will still take her to the Valentine's Day dance, a proposal that hangs between the ordinary rhythm of high school rituals and the extraordinary events of the day. Janis walks home with Peter, ticket folded in his pocket like a talisman; she thinks about what she has done to get him there and about Tony's fall from the roof. Pam returns without Eddie, having chosen the theater over marriage for the time being. Rosie clutches her remaining ticket and the memory of being near the band. Neil Aspinall's road manager who gave Pam a ticket moves on to the next logistical problem, a professional indifferent to the emotional lives he brushes past.

The day resolves into a bittersweet mixture of triumphs and near-misses. Grace's camera yields the images she wanted: photographs of the Beatles in a cramped limousine, captured at close range amid a swirl of fans and rain. Those pictures amount to the vindication of the risks she took--of sneaking into hotel service elevators, of the confrontation with the client she intended to use for funds, and of the sudden, improvised bribe to the policeman. Janis's theft of the tickets secures Peter's experience; Janis and Peter share the small, private pleasure of attendance. Tony's rooftop act ends in a fall prompted by lightning striking near the transmitter; his attempt to silence the broadcast is stopped not by human intervention but by a natural force that upends his scheme. No member of the central teenage circle dies during the day's events; Tony's fall is a violent interruption of his plan but not depicted as a fatality in the sequence of events that follow. The Beatles leave the theater and the alley behind, carried onward in the limousine toward their next obligation.

In the final scenes, the camera stays with Grace as she reviews the frames she has captured. The photographs show the band in cramped, candid poses, their faces lit by the alley's emergency lights and the flash of her camera. Around her, the other teenagers move toward the subway and toward home, each bearing a small, altered sense of self from what they experienced that day: Janis with the knowledge that she helped someone else see the show, Rosie with her radio victory, Pam with the relief of having refused a marriage she did not want, Larry with his abrupt proximity to fame, and Tony with the memory of his rooftop fall and the thwarted act he carried out in anger. The Ed Sullivan broadcast continues to air into American living rooms, joining the teenaged memories that have been made that afternoon.

The film closes on the image of Grace's photographs spread out in front of her, a sequence of static, intimate moments that she has managed to seize during the chaos. The Beatles' music and the sound of the city carry on in the background as the teenagers disperse into the night, and the last visual notes show the group's faces--tired, exhilarated, bruised by risk--as they return to Maplewood, each changed by the particular series of decisions and accidents that defined their day. No on-screen death is recorded among the principals; the events end with the teens alive, carrying the consequences of their actions and the images they have taken or earned, and with the Beatles receding into the distance as the broadcast continues to capture an America enthralled by the moment.

The ending of the 2023 Japanese drama film Hold Your Hand shows Kazuma Yoshimura, after a long struggle, deciding to rebuild his relationship with his daughter Hina, who had been placed in a children's home following his wife Sayuri's accident and unconscious hospitalization. Kazuma finds support from people around him and resolves to regain the bond he lost with his daughter.

Expanded narrative of the ending scene by scene:

The film's final act unfolds after Sayuri's fall down a cliff leaves her unconscious in the hospital for an extended period. Kazuma, her husband, initially overwhelmed and lacking confidence in his ability to care for their young daughter Hina alone, faces the harsh reality when Hina is placed in a children's home by the child consultation center. Despite Kazuma's past experience raising children, the counselor Natsumi Takahara doubts his capability, and Hina remains in care.

As time passes, Kazuma sinks into despair, frequently drinking and isolating himself. However, the narrative shifts as Kazuma begins to notice the kindness and concern of those around him: the landlord couple Mr. and Mrs. Hayama, their daughter Maika, and the staff at the izakaya where Kazuma often drinks. These interactions gradually pull him out of his desolation.

In the closing scenes, Kazuma's internal transformation becomes evident. He acknowledges the support network that has quietly been watching over him and makes a conscious decision to fight for his daughter's custody and their relationship. The film ends on a hopeful note, with Kazuma determined to rebuild the family bond that was fractured by tragedy and his own initial failings.

Regarding the fates of the main characters at the end:

• Kazuma Yoshimura: Resolute and motivated to regain custody and rebuild his relationship with Hina.
• Hina: Still in the children's home but the focus of Kazuma's renewed commitment.
• Sayuri: Remains unconscious in the hospital, her fate unresolved but her condition a catalyst for the family's struggles.
• Supporting characters (landlord family, izakaya staff): Serve as a supportive community around Kazuma, symbolizing hope and connection.

This ending emphasizes themes of resilience, the importance of community support, and the struggle to maintain family bonds in the face of adversity. It closes with Kazuma's emotional and practical commitment to his daughter, leaving the audience with a sense of cautious optimism.

There is no post-credit scene in the 2023 short film Hold Your Hand. The film concludes with the main narrative, focusing on the emotional aftermath of a violent encounter between two young men, Owen and Jake, as they struggle to reconcile their differing perspectives on how to respond to the incident and justify their actions to the police. The story ends with their unresolved tension and the weight of their choices, leaving the audience with a sense of ambiguity and emotional gravity. No additional scenes, stingers, or credits sequences are included after the main story concludes.

After Sayuri falls unconscious from a fall and is hospitalized, Kazuma is unable to care for their daughter Hina, who is temporarily placed in a children's home via a child guidance center because Kazuma lacks confidence and is judged by the counselor Natsumi Takahara as not having the ability to raise her alone.

Kazuma initially struggles with despair and isolation after his wife's accident and his daughter's placement in a children's home, but over time he finds support from the landlord Mr. and Mrs. Hayama, their daughter Maika, and the people at the izakaya he frequents. This support helps him realize that others care for him and motivates him to rebuild his bond with his daughter.

The child consultation center and counselor Natsumi Takahara assess Kazuma's ability to raise his daughter alone and determine that he does not have the necessary skills, which results in Hina staying at the children's home. This assessment is a key plot point that challenges Kazuma and drives his character development.

Kazuma is shown drinking for entertainment and falls asleep at an izakaya until noon the next day, indicating a state of shock, denial, or escapism. This behavior contrasts with his later desperation and eventual resolve to reconnect with his daughter.

Key supporting characters include the landlord couple Mr. and Mrs. Hayama and their daughter Maika, as well as the people at the izakaya Kazuma frequents. These characters provide emotional support and help Kazuma regain hope and strength to rebuild his family bonds.

The 2023 short film Hold Your Hand is a drama centered on two young men who experience a violent encounter with a stranger and then struggle with how to explain the incident to the police, given the nature of their relationship.

This film is not family-friendly due to its depiction of violence and the emotional tension arising from the incident. The violent encounter itself and the subsequent conflict between the characters could be upsetting for children or sensitive viewers. There may also be mature themes related to the characters' relationship and the challenges they face in justifying the incident to authorities, which could be complex or distressing for younger audiences.

No detailed plot spoilers are necessary to note that the film contains: - A violent confrontation - Emotional conflict and tension - Themes involving interpersonal relationships that may be sensitive

Given the film's short runtime (about 10 minutes) and dramatic nature, it is best suited for mature audiences rather than children or those sensitive to violence and emotional distress.