In the heart of Salt Lake City, two brothers—Taylor and Ethan Paur—have created something deliberately unconventional. Their debut feature film, By His Hand, is a neo-western cult thriller road chase film that refuses to be a crowd-pleaser. And that’s entirely by design.
During a recent conversation, the Paur brothers discussed their passion project, a film that emerged from years of experience in the Utah film community and a deeply personal creative vision. What became clear is that By His Hand is less a thriller with a message and more a meditation on what happens after you escape—the confusion, the fear, the struggle of confronting yourself in a harsh, unfamiliar world.
A Personal Story, Amplified
Ethan Paur’s inspiration for By His Hand springs from his own upbringing in Utah. Having grown up in a religious family and left the LDS church as a teenager, he spent his twenties navigating the complicated process of self-discovery. That journey—scary, strange, and often lonely—became the emotional core of the film’s protagonist, Sam.
“I just wanted it to be something that reflects who I am and my upbringing and my home,” Ethan explained. The result is deeply personal: a story about Chase and Emma, who escape a commune-based cult after a disturbing ritual, only to realize that the outside world is far more difficult to navigate than they imagined.
But the film isn’t just about leaving the bad thing behind. Taylor and Ethan deliberately crafted a narrative about what comes next. “Sometimes it’s a lot easier to be afraid of and run away from a big, scary, bad guy that’s chasing you than it is to confront yourself,” Taylor noted. This self-examination—this reckoning with identity after deprogramming—became the thematic backbone of the movie.
Location as Storytelling
For an indie film working with limited resources, location becomes everything. The Paur brothers understood this from day one. Northern Utah, with its stunning landscape and isolated beauty, isn’t just a backdrop; it’s woven into the fabric of the production design itself.
“I grew up here, so when we were writing this film, I would just take drives—hours, long drives—with music that fits the vibe, and I’d come across all these places,” Ethan said. “I knew it was where we wanted to shoot.” This intimate knowledge of the terrain allowed them to use the landscape as a character in itself, a visual expression of isolation and the journey between worlds.
The choice of location also speaks to Utah’s broader cultural landscape. As Ethan pointed out, “Where there’s an area with heavy culture, there’s bound to be counterculture.” Salt Lake City, anchored by the LDS church, has developed a thriving creative community of people who’ve left that culture or exist outside it. That creative tension—between establishment and rebellion—is fertile ground for storytelling.
Casting Against the Clock
Remarkably, By His Hand was made during the 2023 SAG strike. The Paur brothers worked with a SAG interim agreement, which created an unusual constraint: they didn’t receive final approval until 24 hours before shooting began.
“We were sitting in a Bjornsbrew parking lot with our casting director, spreadsheet open, and we cast every single role within 10 minutes,” Taylor recalled. What could have been a disaster instead became an act of faith. Chase and Ryan, the leads, brought natural kinetic energy and chemistry to their roles. The rest of the ensemble, hastily assembled in a parking lot conversation, somehow coalesced into exactly what the film needed.
“It’s really a beautiful example of how limitation can serve you really well,” Taylor reflected. Necessity, it seems, breeds creative genius.
Intentionally Polarizing
Perhaps most striking is the filmmakers’ deliberate choice to make something challenging rather than crowd-pleasing. Early in development, they came to crossroads repeatedly: make choices that audiences expect, or follow their creative instincts. They chose the latter.
“We set out to make a movie that’s not gonna be a crowd pleaser, and it was kind of an intentional thing,” Ethan explained. And the response has been exactly as they predicted. Some viewers walk away befuddled. Others sit with the film, absorb its meaning, and find themselves moved by what Taylor and Ethan were trying to say.
For the filmmakers, this split reaction is a victory. “If we can get one person who walks away having absorbed the thing we were thinking about, it’s such a win for me,” Ethan said. They’re not interested in universal acclaim; they’re interested in meaningful resonance.
What’s Next for the Paur Brothers
Having proven themselves with their debut, Taylor and Ethan are already working on their next project: a dark fantasy horror film. According to them, it will be bigger in scope but remain grounded in character and human emotion.
“We wanna make a really cool, handmade, character-driven, dark fantasy horror,” Taylor said. “We feel like the world needs that.” Drawing on mythic story structures and the tools of journey-based narratives, they plan to continue melding fantastical elements with authentic human emotion.
They’ve earned their stripes as indie filmmakers. They’ve done it all from start to finish—with support from their brother Connor, who served as executive producer, and a dedicated crew. It’s a testament to their vision, their resilience, and their commitment to telling stories that matter.
See It Yourself
By His Hand is available now on Amazon Prime Video. For more information about the Paur brothers and their work, visit scrierfilms.com.
The film may not be what you expect. That’s precisely the point. In a landscape of predictable narratives, the Paur brothers have crafted something genuinely challenging—a film that asks uncomfortable questions and refuses to provide easy answers. And in 2026, when truly independent filmmaking is an uphill battle, that kind of artistic integrity is worth celebrating.
