“Out of Hand is the third in a Beckman trilogy of Super-8 films based on the ideas of child psychologist Jean Piaget. Like the earlier We Imitate, We Brea-Up (I have not seen the other film in the series), it uses a subjective camera eye to present what its character thinks rather than says (as in voice-over) or sees (as in point-of-view and reaction shots). This unusual mode of first-person narration, called “mindscreen” by Bruce Kawin in his book of the same name, corresponds neatly to Piaget’s basic thesis that children are active participants in the creation of their reality, not just passive receivers of information…”
