It's a taut, concise, bracingly uneasy film, all the more involving because it starts off promising a realistic drama of the working life, almost in a Loachian vein, then becomes something else entirely, something closer to an absurdist political parable.

Though modestly made, this drama is both fleet - at just 82 minutes - and very precise, steadily working its way toward a payoff that is understated yet packs a punch.

It's the kind of measured, intelligent provocation which is tailor-made for the festival audience, and should go on to screen extensively at other events.

In Mano de trabajo we find a tone that despises melodrama in favor of a more credible representation. [Full review in Spanish]