The Big Picture
- Uncomfortable intimacy is dissected in Kit Zauhar’s film,
This Closeness
, as a couple’s weekend takes an unexpected turn. - Loneliness, jealousy, and confrontation drive the characters towards a breaking point in the confines of a stranger’s apartment.
- The claustrophobic setting and emotional turmoil of the characters make
This Closeness
a must-watch film about human relationships.
There is nothing more uncomfortable than the confines of intimacy, as featured in the trailer for Kit Zauhar’s new film, This Closeness. This will be the director’s second feature film, following her debut, Actual People. Zauhar stars and directs in the film that analyzes a relationship over the course of a weekend, as the synopsis reads:
Tessa and Ben are staying in Philly for the weekend to attend Ben’s high school reunion. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the couple has to rent a room in a stranger’s apartment. That stranger is Adam, whose loneliness is immediately obvious to his new guests. Adam quickly becomes an unwilling voyeur to the most private parts of the couple’s life. While Ben seeks validation from old classmates, Tessa is left to find her own affection within the confines of the apartment. When Tessa betrays Adam’s trust, Adam goes to great lengths to assert his dominance over his home.
In the trailer, Ben (Zane Pais) and Tessa (Zauhar) introduce themselves to their shy host. Unlike the outrageous uncomfortable nature of cohabitation in Barbarian, This Closeness focuses on the understated but excruciating reality of awkward situations. Tessa explains to Adam (Ian Edlund) that her work revolves around sound design, but throughout the trailer, she is seen making many different understated YouTube videos where she narrates people in the apartment.
“Today I have a very special guest with me,” Tessa says as she combs Lizzy’s (Jessie Pinnick) hair in front of a camera. “I just met her last night for the first time, and she went to high school with my boyfriend.” Though seemingly innocuous at first, the dynamics between the characters quickly fall apart.
Loneliness Permeates ‘This Closeness’
Tessa shows visible jealousy when Lizzy reminisces with Ben about their high school days. Tessa involves Adam in her videos as Ben gets more confrontational towards his girlfriend. “I don’t really know how to deal with you,” Ben tells Tessa when they are alone in the bedroom together. This causes Tessa to confess her own loneliness in the relationship, which essentially seems to be the thesis of the film.
This Closeness only takes place inside the walls of the apartment, which gives off a claustrophobic atmosphere, even in the short trailer. Even when in a relationship, sometimes people can feel the loneliest of all. This Closeness premiered at SXSW 2023 and won distribution from Factory 25. The film will open theatrical on June 7 before streaming on Mubi starting July 3.
