Thought-provoking. Takes the viewer through a roller coaster of emotions ranging from humor to fear to anger. Enjoyable short watch. 10 for Originality.
18 Reviews
Scary. Thankfully it's short.
drtedifies27 March 2022
Not too far-fetched satire
Valid_ID18 March 2022
I enjoyed this short movie mostly because I found it relatable. With the privatization of prisons, ran by for-profit corporations with no care for the individual, and with the automation of customer support, the story of a guy who is mistakenly imprisoned and can't get to talk to a human is not too far-fetched.
I would have given it 10 stars if not for some inane details, such as the guy falling asleep while calling the LAPD chief of police. The movie would not have suffered without that silly scene, the call would have cost as much just by being on hold.
I would have given it 10 stars if not for some inane details, such as the guy falling asleep while calling the LAPD chief of police. The movie would not have suffered without that silly scene, the call would have cost as much just by being on hold.
Hilarious and worrying futuristic vision of AI
imseeg14 April 2022
What about AI? What if every single suspect of a crime was controlled by AI? Get fined and handcuffed by a robot. That's the hilarious and worrying vision this short picture shows us.
Definitely worth a watch. This nightmarish future is closer than we might think.
Definitely worth a watch. This nightmarish future is closer than we might think.
A terrific, darkly humourous short
UNOhwen24 April 2022
I must hand it to the people involved in this short. They made afilm which is both humourous, - and it's in that,whchits so very frightening.
A young ma's on his way to work, sometime in the not too distant future, when he's alerted- on his mobile phone- that he's under arrest.
He hadn't done anything, but, it's due to the impersonlaisation of everything that he's locked up, and faces up,to 4u years.
The 'public defender's is nothing better than 'Clippy'from Microsoft Bob - and it's due to the failure(s) of all the voice controlled services where Matteo (the main character)fights his battle.
Ideally hope that this short leads to a good future for those involved- from direction, and all those behind the camera, to theterrifi performance.
A young ma's on his way to work, sometime in the not too distant future, when he's alerted- on his mobile phone- that he's under arrest.
He hadn't done anything, but, it's due to the impersonlaisation of everything that he's locked up, and faces up,to 4u years.
The 'public defender's is nothing better than 'Clippy'from Microsoft Bob - and it's due to the failure(s) of all the voice controlled services where Matteo (the main character)fights his battle.
Ideally hope that this short leads to a good future for those involved- from direction, and all those behind the camera, to theterrifi performance.
Holds up nicely overall
Horst_In_Translation17 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
"Please Hold" is an American English-language live action short film from 2022 and this one is nominated for an Oscar at the upcoming Academy Awards. I saw this one tonight just like all the other nominees and while I liked it and think it is far from being the worst entry, I still think it is maybe the least likely winner. Nonetheless, a thumbs-up to KD Davila as this was a really decent way to launch her filmmaking career. As a director I mean. I know she has worked in other positions before. Lead actor is Erick Lopez and some maybe know him from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I am not one of those, but I think he did fine here overall. There are other actors, but he is at the center of it all from beginning to end, so close to a one-man show, even if, in general, this is not much of an actors movie. It is much more about the futuristic setting and the absurdity of it all. You will feel sorry for the protagonist, but you will also smile here and there because it is so strange some of it. Maybe also smile because you are happy you are not in his hopeless position. There is no reason in this film. Drones are in control and the main character is arrested at the beginning of the film. He completely relies on the explanation that it was a mistake, an error and he did nothing wrong. We are led to believe him, but of course cannot say for sure as we do not know about anything that happened before the film begins.
The vast majority of the film is us watching him in his cell, how he deals with a computer there and struggles with finding a lawyer and pleading guilty or innocent. The futuristic commercials about how he can have a much better, much more comfortable cell if he is able to pay 75 bucks or more per day were highly surreal. I personally thought this film was longer than 19 minutes, it felt longer, maybe because there was constantly something happening and when the protagonist sleeps, it's hours for him, but seconds for us. We feel with him and hope that justice is served. Imagine the idea of him being approximately 90% guilty and that being enough to put him in jail. I must say what I liked the least maybe about the film was the ending, how he then gets released out of nowhere and there is a reference to companies that boost their reputation by letting everybody know they employ former convicts. The lawyer was also a bit of a letdown. The maybe for me funniest and memorable moment was when screamed out YES in delight and the computer mistook it as a response to its previous question. Hands on my head there. I also kinda felt that maybe this film was closely connected to actual circumstances in the past, maybe the situation of a man who was really imprisoned despite being innocent and they used quotes from him from interrogations or so, but I saw no such explanation eventually. This is number three on my list of the Oscar nominees in the live action short category. Two were better, two were worse. I give it a thumbs-up and suggest you watch it. Also surprised that I am the first reviewer.
The vast majority of the film is us watching him in his cell, how he deals with a computer there and struggles with finding a lawyer and pleading guilty or innocent. The futuristic commercials about how he can have a much better, much more comfortable cell if he is able to pay 75 bucks or more per day were highly surreal. I personally thought this film was longer than 19 minutes, it felt longer, maybe because there was constantly something happening and when the protagonist sleeps, it's hours for him, but seconds for us. We feel with him and hope that justice is served. Imagine the idea of him being approximately 90% guilty and that being enough to put him in jail. I must say what I liked the least maybe about the film was the ending, how he then gets released out of nowhere and there is a reference to companies that boost their reputation by letting everybody know they employ former convicts. The lawyer was also a bit of a letdown. The maybe for me funniest and memorable moment was when screamed out YES in delight and the computer mistook it as a response to its previous question. Hands on my head there. I also kinda felt that maybe this film was closely connected to actual circumstances in the past, maybe the situation of a man who was really imprisoned despite being innocent and they used quotes from him from interrogations or so, but I saw no such explanation eventually. This is number three on my list of the Oscar nominees in the live action short category. Two were better, two were worse. I give it a thumbs-up and suggest you watch it. Also surprised that I am the first reviewer.
scary look at future tech
gabs444-879-84639320 March 2022
Short well made look at a potential real situation in near future. Well made, told a lot in the short time given and reminded me of a situation i have been in where looked like proving my innocence was impossible, and would have been if i was not extremely lucky having a witness i did not know i had lol.
Clever
dcarroll7423 March 2022
Brilliant short which brings modern technology into the glaring light.
Many take tech for granted, without thinking what the ultimate outcome may be. And therin lies the problem.
Tech is slowly but surely, taking over intelligence. People are beginning to forget how to think for themselves.
Ironically, technology has become the electronic Dementia, and very few see this.
Many take tech for granted, without thinking what the ultimate outcome may be. And therin lies the problem.
Tech is slowly but surely, taking over intelligence. People are beginning to forget how to think for themselves.
Ironically, technology has become the electronic Dementia, and very few see this.
Pretty close to realistic
mcgillmckinley20 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I saw that someone made attempt at a claim that this was far from realistic; however, there are multiple stories in the news where someone, after being wrongfully incarcerated for a crime that he or she had not committed, are able to finally be released after 40 years, in some cases. And that's just the ones that have, hopefully, not been executed although innocent. The writers of this short film even talked about a case that they had read about in which a person stayed in jail for weeks just because he had the same name. The person's court-appointment attorney did not even pay attention that the age age and height did not match and that, only when put in front of a judge, did the judge know that it was not the right person right away. This film does a great job, at the end, letting it be known how much of a life one loses when falsely incarcerated by job loss, housing loss and the cost of possibly getting a good attorney. The film also shows how poor can be tricked into pleading guilty to a crime that he or she did not commit due to being scared of the unknown outcome.
Wow
SweetMuhfuggah25 March 2022
The power and velocity with which Please Hold affected me was truly amazing. It triggered a near immediate empathetically emotional response. This short made me feel so anxious and twisted up that I'm still sitting here in a daze while writing this; thank goodness it was only 19 minutes, any more and I'm not sure I could've handled it.
There is little wonder Please Hold is being talked about for awards. Every aspect was excellent, save perhaps the "soft" ending. A thoughtful comment on the present state and trajectory of our prison/justice system, Please Hold is a dystopian postmodern day societal horror story worth viewing. Viewers should be advised to watch at their own risk.
Postscript (since we're on the topic) - It's time to END for profit prisons. One would think this is an obvious error for a modern civilization to stumble into; But here we are, building one after another. For profit prisons can only make money by keeping people locked up. The more prisoners, the more tax dollars that are allocated to that prison. In order to stay "in the black", a for profit prison must continuously stay plus 3/4 full. Minor infractions become months to years tacked on to an inmate's time. Call your government representatives and tell them where you'd prefer your tax dollars be spent. It would be better to spend our tax revenue on just about anything else other than attempting to change Please Hold from fiction to reality.
There is little wonder Please Hold is being talked about for awards. Every aspect was excellent, save perhaps the "soft" ending. A thoughtful comment on the present state and trajectory of our prison/justice system, Please Hold is a dystopian postmodern day societal horror story worth viewing. Viewers should be advised to watch at their own risk.
Postscript (since we're on the topic) - It's time to END for profit prisons. One would think this is an obvious error for a modern civilization to stumble into; But here we are, building one after another. For profit prisons can only make money by keeping people locked up. The more prisoners, the more tax dollars that are allocated to that prison. In order to stay "in the black", a for profit prison must continuously stay plus 3/4 full. Minor infractions become months to years tacked on to an inmate's time. Call your government representatives and tell them where you'd prefer your tax dollars be spent. It would be better to spend our tax revenue on just about anything else other than attempting to change Please Hold from fiction to reality.
If you don't care about logic, you'll love it.
mejiajuanito19 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Where to begin? He's arrested by a robot without being told why. The robot threatens to taze him when he is no threat. No use of force policy in America allows that. California doesn't even use private prisons anymore, so the idea of this ever happening is inaccurate. He's asked to plea and the automated machine somehow isn't programmed to tell him his charges? No out of cell time. Does the ACLU suddenly not exist? The creators go out of their way to force unrealistic frustrations. If you have half a brain, you will find this movie incredibly frustrating.
Incredible
autumnkoalaselizabeth18 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This is the best short film i have ever seen. It takes you into the life of a forgotten falsely accused minority and the struggles he faces with insanity. Beautiful and tragic. Truly a masterpiece and i cant wait to see Eric in upcoming films.
Fantastic short film on HBO MAX!
braininacat21 June 2022
First of i would like to say how happy I was so see a indi short film on HBOMAX. Not something I expected at all but after watching it I understand why they would put it on there. What an amazing short film! A simple idea executed very well in the time it had.
I don't want to give anything away because if you have HBOMAX it's only about 20 minutes long so definitely worth your time. But long story short it is a sci-fi in the style of black mirror about a possible Dystopian future.
When my wife and I both agree on a random movie like this I'm really glad I trust my gut on the description and put it on. Also thank you to the HBOMAX recommendation section because that's how I found it!
I don't want to give anything away because if you have HBOMAX it's only about 20 minutes long so definitely worth your time. But long story short it is a sci-fi in the style of black mirror about a possible Dystopian future.
When my wife and I both agree on a random movie like this I'm really glad I trust my gut on the description and put it on. Also thank you to the HBOMAX recommendation section because that's how I found it!
China's the Model™
JL_Seagull3 November 2023
I haven't written a review in ages on here, but was very moved by this short film to recommend it as strongly as possible. This is a must-see for every person in the legal profession, or those simply interested in the law and exercising their most basic rights. It should be required viewing in high school.
Please Hold tells a story of assembly-line justice where one is essentially presumed guilty until proven innocent. Detractors who say this is unrealistic are seemingly unaware that a sizable chunk of the world today carries a presumption of guilt. Once must prove their innocence when accused of a crime.
That's in the criminal justice system. With respect to civil or administrative matters, there is no such presumption of innocence. The government has a much weaker standard of proof- the balance of probabilities or the preponderance of evidence, as opposed to beyond a reasonable doubt.
This, combined with the near-unlimited resources of the state are usually enough to crush the ill-equipped individual. Property may be taken with little or no recourse. This is called civil asset forfeiture. I believe this concept is captured well in this film.
Please Hold combines these concepts brilliantly in a way that must be seen to be believed. It watches like a combination of an episode of Black Mirror, A Scanner Darkly (or any number of Philip K. Dick novels), and the current China Model of electronic surveillance, which is facilitated by a merger of state and corporate power.
This film is a warning to us all and it must not go unheeded. The accumulation of powers by law enforcement officers, prosecutors, administrative decision-makers, and other individuals or entities that comprise the executive branch of government, makes this future *very* possible.
The long-term concentration of powers in the hands of the executive- and deference to the executive by our lawmakers, courts and tribunals- is a vicious, unbalanced cycle that can only be reversed with awareness. Please Hold accomplishes just that by bringing these issues front and center to every viewer.
Tell everyone about this film. Arrange viewings. Wake people up who are sleepwalking through oblivion and tyranny. Apathy, fear, confusion and demoralization serve as fuel for the same. As George Orwell said near the end of his life, "Don't let it happen."
Please Hold tells a story of assembly-line justice where one is essentially presumed guilty until proven innocent. Detractors who say this is unrealistic are seemingly unaware that a sizable chunk of the world today carries a presumption of guilt. Once must prove their innocence when accused of a crime.
That's in the criminal justice system. With respect to civil or administrative matters, there is no such presumption of innocence. The government has a much weaker standard of proof- the balance of probabilities or the preponderance of evidence, as opposed to beyond a reasonable doubt.
This, combined with the near-unlimited resources of the state are usually enough to crush the ill-equipped individual. Property may be taken with little or no recourse. This is called civil asset forfeiture. I believe this concept is captured well in this film.
Please Hold combines these concepts brilliantly in a way that must be seen to be believed. It watches like a combination of an episode of Black Mirror, A Scanner Darkly (or any number of Philip K. Dick novels), and the current China Model of electronic surveillance, which is facilitated by a merger of state and corporate power.
This film is a warning to us all and it must not go unheeded. The accumulation of powers by law enforcement officers, prosecutors, administrative decision-makers, and other individuals or entities that comprise the executive branch of government, makes this future *very* possible.
The long-term concentration of powers in the hands of the executive- and deference to the executive by our lawmakers, courts and tribunals- is a vicious, unbalanced cycle that can only be reversed with awareness. Please Hold accomplishes just that by bringing these issues front and center to every viewer.
Tell everyone about this film. Arrange viewings. Wake people up who are sleepwalking through oblivion and tyranny. Apathy, fear, confusion and demoralization serve as fuel for the same. As George Orwell said near the end of his life, "Don't let it happen."
Stolen plot from Futurama
soma0006 April 2022
Futurama Season 3 Episode 11
"Insane in the Mainframe"
Fry is falsely arrested and detained in a Robot Insane Asylum where he has to battle with technology trying to get a hold of ANYONE who can help get him out.
This Short literally uses the exact premise with mateo/Fry going crazy trying to prove hes not supposed to be in this facility full of technology/robots
Its very black mirror... but... again... futurama did this exact thing 20 years ago.
5/10 its not a bad little short, just unoriginal.
Fry is falsely arrested and detained in a Robot Insane Asylum where he has to battle with technology trying to get a hold of ANYONE who can help get him out.
This Short literally uses the exact premise with mateo/Fry going crazy trying to prove hes not supposed to be in this facility full of technology/robots
Its very black mirror... but... again... futurama did this exact thing 20 years ago.
5/10 its not a bad little short, just unoriginal.
Kafka Reimagined
cbs-639393 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
A modern interpretation of "The Trial" by Franz Kafka. It was one of his best-known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor to the reader.
In "Please Hold" the protagonist never knows what crime his is accused of. He is arrested and is subject to an endless battery of automated messages by a prison system devoid of any humans. As he was arrested without a clue why, he is released without a clue, but during his time in jail he loses his job, was evicted, and his life was destroyed.
In "Please Hold" the protagonist never knows what crime his is accused of. He is arrested and is subject to an endless battery of automated messages by a prison system devoid of any humans. As he was arrested without a clue why, he is released without a clue, but during his time in jail he loses his job, was evicted, and his life was destroyed.
Concept vs Execution
orlokmoon23 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The execution for a Short missed too many times.
1) No Miranda Rights nor is an alternative suggested despite the protagonist *seemingly* knowing he has the ability to make a phone call, hire a lawyer, accept a public defender.
2) No crime is ever charged nor is an alternative presented. Yet, very specific sentencing guidelines are presented BEFORE a hearing or court date. No Discovery etc. This destroyed suspension of disbelief.
The writer took a fair concept "automated private prison is Hell" and completely broke the communication with some of the most mind numbingly asinine omissions.
I am all for letting the audience fill in blanks but I want my 15 mins back and this film erased from memory.
1) No Miranda Rights nor is an alternative suggested despite the protagonist *seemingly* knowing he has the ability to make a phone call, hire a lawyer, accept a public defender.
2) No crime is ever charged nor is an alternative presented. Yet, very specific sentencing guidelines are presented BEFORE a hearing or court date. No Discovery etc. This destroyed suspension of disbelief.
The writer took a fair concept "automated private prison is Hell" and completely broke the communication with some of the most mind numbingly asinine omissions.
I am all for letting the audience fill in blanks but I want my 15 mins back and this film erased from memory.
Extremely Dissapointing Unless You Like Open Ended Garbage
bhrenrarevalo20 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This is another short film in the bucket of short films with one interesting facet that they NEVER deliver on. What was Mateo charged for? Oh you can come up with the answer yourself! I've noticed what people "enjoy" about this movie is that they can relate to it. That does not make it good. Half of the story (and literally the most important part that puts him in the story in the first place) is open ended garbage. It wouldn't even have to be that creative. People write a half-baked story like this and win an oscar. Trash and a waste of time. 3 stars for decent production.
Time killer
KiddNicole5239020 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I honestly don't know why this has such a good rating, yes it was frustrating watching him have to try to figure things out and get into contact with whoever he needed too, but this could have been so much better if they get into WHY the system is trying to set him and others up. Because that's the feel it gives off while he's in there and the AI's are trying to push him into decisions. A good time filler I think but not a 7 movie. The idea was great, but lacked on the execution.
Please get rid of the character requirements, I don't need to write a novel to get my point across, thank you, your users.
Please get rid of the character requirements, I don't need to write a novel to get my point across, thank you, your users.
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