Wrists Tied

Wrists Tied is a 2023 American comedy short film co-written, produced, and directed by Joseph Jeavons. It stars Beckett Nichols as the protagonist alongside Sam Teague, Calvin Lewis, and Hank Holbrook. The story sees Melvin, a recent college graduate, help an odd crew of criminals execute a poorly planned heist so that he can afford to start up his dream business.

The film premiered in Dallas, Texas on July 30, 2023.

Plot
Melvin and Doug are two college graduates who are struggling financially. Melvin takes the steps needed to start up his dream business, "Paint Cinema," where audience members can paint while they watch movies, but he fails to obtain sufficient funds to pay off his property expenses. Rather than finding a reasonable solution to this issue, Melvin goes behind Doug's back and joins a crew of criminals led by Dagwood and accompanied by Leg Hair Nelson.

The three of them execute a bank heist that goes wrong when the cops show up unexpectedly and Leg Hair Nelson's uncontrollable urge to start plucking out their leg hairs kicks in. Melvin and Dagwood escape and Dagwood is now suspicious about how the cops could have caught onto their plans so swiftly. Once the two regroup, Melvin is surprised to see the whistle-blower tied to a chair with a bag over his head. Dagwood reveals the culprit to be Doug and gives Melvin the choice to either kill Doug or be killed.

Cast

 * Beckett Nichols as Melvin, a college graduate with a dream to revolutionize art itself.
 * Hank Holbrook as Doug, Melvin's best friend and ladies’ man.
 * Sam Teague as Dagwood, a criminal mastermind.
 * Calvin Lewis as Leg Hair Nelson, a peculiar member of Dagwood's crew who has an uncontrollable urge to pluck people's leg hair.

Voice Cast

 * Joseph Jeavons as Patrick, a former member of Dagwood's crew whose face was beaten with a brick.
 * Anna Winslow as Margo, Melvin's real estate agent.
 * Savannah Wells as the female police officer
 * Howard May as the male police officer

Production
The film began development in June 2023, with a writing team composed of Owen Swift and Joseph Jeavons. Writing began just three months after the team's release of The Big Pelvis earlier that year. In an interview with Ashalia Dawkins of The Student World Impact Film Festival, Swift and Jeavons explained that once they finish wrapping on a project they get straight into brainstorming their next.

Reception
Wrists Tied garnered mixed reviews given that its ultra-low budget indie quality clashed with the twenty-two-minute story. Richard Propes of The Independent Critic wrote, "If you're expecting studio quality filmmaking here, look elsewhere. If you're looking for solid storytelling from a filmmaker still figuring things out then you should be absolutely happy with this fun little story, engaging characters, and microcinema spirit." The film was given the Award of Recognition in the September 2023 round of the Best Shorts Competition as well as the Best Short Film Award at the Creative Vision Film Festival.