Masculinity, mobility and fraternal rivalry in Pascal Alex Vincent's "Donne-moi la main" (2008)

What is it about?

Twin tales are short on survivors. On the one hand is the threat of implosion; on the other, outsiders can shatter the twin relationship. This fine line is walked by Quentin and Antoine, the protagonists of Pascal Alex Vincent’s "Donne-moi la main" (2008) who hitchhike from France to Spain to attend their mother’s funeral. Vincent’s film is both a twin tale and a road movie. In this mix, there is the potential for generic conflict since, in contrast to the claustrophobia of the twin relation, the road movie emphasises a mobility which is emancipatory. Drawing on the work of Juliana de Nooy and on theory relating to the road movie, this article examines how Vincent’s film juggles the restrictions of the twin tale with the freedom of the road. In doing so, it questions the extent to which the road movie might offer liberation from hegemonic masculinity for its protagonists.

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Why is it important?

This article contributes to research both on twin narratives and on road movies, questioning in particular the extent to which road movies might represent an emancipatory masculinity.