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- This Closeness Is Like Passages Meets The Rental
- This Closeness and Troubled Characters
Summary
- Raw performances and unexpected twists make
This Closeness
a refreshing take on modern romance. - Tessa and Ben's strained relationship mirrors a troubled love triangle, adding depth to the storyline.
- The film evokes raw emotions of loneliness and isolation, leaving a lasting impact despite familiar tropes.
Movies like Blue Valentine and Before Midnight revolve around weekend getaways gone wrong. No, sometimes vacationing at a swanky hotel, motel, or Airbnb isn't always the answer to rekindling your romance. This concept also holds up in a micro-budget yet hard-hitting new drama from budding filmmaker Kit Zauhar, who also stars in her sophomore effort in addition to writing and directing.
This Closeness tests a couple's limits as they shack up at a rando's apartment for the weekend. They're not married like the aging couples in Derek Cianfrance and Richard Linklater's aforementioned masterpieces, but the youngins in focus here might remind you at times of an old, married couple the way they bicker and annoyingly put up with each other when they really shouldn't. The performances are spot on, to the point where you might catch a little PTSD from your past flings that fizzled out.
This Closeness Is Like Passages Meets The Rental
This Closeness
3.5/5
- Release Date
- July 3, 2024
- Director
- Kit Zauhar
- Cast
- Zane Paid , Jessie Pinnick , Kit Zauhar , Ian Edlund
- Runtime
- 1h 28m
- This Closeness features raw, authentic performances by its young stars.
- There are clever twists when it comes to certain characters' rapports.
- Several modern-romance tropes we've seen before.
- The film is a bit too contained for its own good.
Meet Tessa (Zauhur) and her boyfriend, Ben (Zane Pais). Chances are you'll favor one more than the other. They're in town in Philadelphia for the weekend for Ben's high school reunion, and something about the way they arrive and settle into their getaway residence screams, "This is all Ben, and Tessa is just kindly showing her support." And no, they're not in the Four Seasons, but rather in a cramped two-bedroom apartment occupied by the introverted and low-key creepy Adam (Ian Edlund), whose roommate Lance – who we never meet, adding a lovely little intrigue element – no longer lives there. Why did they part ways? Did they butt heads to a tipping point?
Either way, Adam is a stranger to them and merely rents out Lance's room for cash to pay the rent. It makes sense in this crippling-inflation economy we live in. This Closeness might remind cinephiles of Dave Franco's directorial debut The Rental, particularly the way in which Ian is similar to the creepy homeowner from the 2020 film.
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You get what you pay for, and Ben and Tessa aren't exactly thrilled with their meager setup. For one, their room is freezing, and host Ian doesn't have a solution for them at first. All the while, the three of them are constantly squeezing by each other in this small city apartment. Anyone who's tried to make it work in expensive cities like New York and Los Angeles will instantly relate to the claustrophobic dynamic here.
It also doesn't help that Ben is a stubborn hothead who doesn't exactly like taking "no" for an answer. Watch as poor Tessa is constantly eye-rolling and cringing (as are we) while the introverted Adam tries to explain his less-than-ideal living situation to an increasingly agitated Ben. "If the window A/C unit is causing the cold air to come in, then can't we just move it?" Ben says sharply. This loveless love triangle of sorts sets up a dynamic that almost runs parallel to the hit MUBI film Passages from last year – just not nearly as sexy.
This Closeness and Troubled Characters
That's not to say sex isn't in the equation here. You can tell Adam has the hots for Tessa, especially once he learns how she makes a living: by making soothing videos for her online following that could almost put you in a seductive mood. It drives him wild to the point where Adam needs to retire to the bathroom to relieve himself at one point. Meanwhile, Ben is off partying with high school pals – without Tessa – and even has the audacity to bring a different gal back to the apartment. This is former classmate Lizzie (Jessie Pinnick), who even had a fling with Ben back in the day. Of course, Lizzie and Tessa end up butting heads once Tessa tries to join in their late-night beer-drinking fun at the kitchen table. Some things just aren't meant to be, even down to these kinds of single-serving friendships.
But This Closeness succeeds by subverting your expectations and keeping you guessing, with Tessa and Lizzie's rapport being just one example. They end up connecting in unexpected ways, and all the while, Tessa and Adam's connection takes a turn for the worse in unexpected ways. Ben remains expectedly bothersome, stuck in his selfish ways, and unable to see how Tessa is suffering in her own loneliness and uncertainty about their future while he goes off and drinks himself silly with his degenerate ex-classmates. The classic Blink-182 song "What's My Age Again?" comes to mind when thinking about the overarching themes of This Closeness, particularly when it comes to a troubled character like Ben – who refuses to admit he's troubled.
Otherwise, This Closeness triumphs by throwing raw emotions at us and reminding us of the toll that terrifying sentiments like loneliness and isolation can take on you. Sure, it's the kind of modern-romance tropes we've seen on the big screen before, and a bigger budget might have allowed filmmaker Zauhar to explore the vibrant city of Philly a bit more. But it's a safe assumption that her new film will earn a place "close" to your heart long after the credits roll. From FACTORY 25, This Closeness is now playing in select theaters, followed by a worldwide digital release with MUBI on July 3.
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