Parasocial: This Closeness is an Interesting Experiment in Minimalism

Neon Heart Productions

3.5/5 stars

One of the joys of watching a very low-budget film is seeing the interesting ways filmmakers can express their vision with limited funds. They often give us films stripped down to their bare essentials and that gives us the opportunity to engage with the story and characters more authentically, without some of the artifice that comes with more expensive productions. This is very much the case for Kit Zauhar with her film This Closeness, which takes place entirely within one location and features fewer than a half dozen actors. This unique exercise in minimalism doesn't always hit its mark, but the joy is in the attempt.

Ben (Zane Pais) and his girlfriend Tessa (director Zauhar) are in Philadelphia for the weekend for Ben's high school reunion. They rent a room in the apartment of Adam (Ian Edlund), a lonely and reclusive young man. Over the course of the weekend, the three find themselves unwilling observers to some intimate moments in each other's lives and the situation will test the limits of Ben and Tessa's relationship.

The film hits at a uniquely modern issue with the prominence of AirBnBs and the parasocial nature of life online. People often become far too familiar with the lives of complete strangers and Zauhar emphasizes this with dialogue heard through thin walls and flat, static shots that underplay the tensions bubbling to the surface. This is a world where characters speak through dialogue and awkward silence in equal measure. This was done similarly in the "Mumblecore" subgenre of the late 2000s and like those films, the minimalism can only go so far before it gets tiresome. That said, it's always interesting watching new experimentations with film form. This Closeness is currently available on Mubi.

Written and directed by Kit Zauhar // Starring Zauhar, Zane Pais, Ian Edlund, Jessie Pinnick, Kate Williams, and Lisa Emery // 88 minutes // Neon Heart Productions // Unrated (R equivalent)