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Movies: This Closeness (2023) by Kit Zauhar — Intimacy as a Pressure Cooker

  • Writer: dailyentertainment95
    dailyentertainment95
  • Aug 29
  • 4 min read

A Weekend That Feels Too Close

This Closeness follows Tessa, an ASMR YouTuber, and her journalist boyfriend Ben as they travel to Philadelphia for Ben’s high school reunion. With no place to stay, they rent a room from Adam, an awkward and lonely host who quickly becomes more present in their lives than expected. What begins as a simple weekend visit soon turns into a study of boundaries, proximity, and emotional discomfort. Set almost entirely inside Adam’s apartment, the film turns the smallest gestures—like an opened fridge door or an overheard argument—into sources of unease. This chamber-like setup forces the characters, and the audience, to reflect on what intimacy really means, and how closeness can both connect and suffocate.

Why to Recommend This Movie — An Unsettlingly Honest Look at Closeness

  • Everyday tension, thoughtfully crafted: The story shows how ordinary social interactions can spiral into moments of deep emotional strain.

  • Smart, character-driven conflict: Rather than relying on big events, the drama comes from subtle shifts in conversation and behavior.

  • Bold intimacy: The film makes viewers feel the awkwardness of shared spaces, from casual conversations to moments of intrusion.

  • Lingering impact: After the credits roll, the film leaves you thinking about your own experiences with roommates, relationships, and boundaries.

What is the Trend Followed? — Chamber Dramas That Confront You

  • Single-location intensity: By staying inside a cramped apartment, the story mirrors the intensity of a stage play and forces attention on the characters.

  • Exploring modern loneliness: It reflects the anxieties of a generation navigating fragile relationships and a constant search for connection.

  • Sound as story: The ASMR devices and whispered tones turn sound into a form of intimacy, making viewers feel almost too close to the characters.

  • Quiet indie realism over polish: Embracing a stripped-down style, the film prioritizes authenticity, awkward silences, and raw performances over cinematic gloss.

Director’s Vision — Bruising Honesty in Tight Spaces

  • Uncomfortable truth: Kit Zauhar explores the rawness of human interaction, showing how our flaws surface when privacy is stripped away.

  • Close quarters, deeper insight: By restricting the setting, she magnifies the discomfort of being unable to escape emotional confrontation.

  • Minimalist tools, maximal effect: Simple camera work, extended takes, and precise sound design make the atmosphere tense and claustrophobic.

  • Personal filmmaking: As both writer and director, Zauhar injects her work with authenticity, making the drama feel lived-in and uncomfortably real.

Themes — Vulnerability, Power, and Emotional Territory

  • Territorial intimacy: The film questions who controls a shared space and how invisible rules shape interactions.

  • Loneliness amid company: Even when together, characters reveal how disconnected and emotionally isolated they feel.

  • Invisible power plays: Small, seemingly insignificant choices—like a tone of voice or a territorial claim—become battles for dominance.

  • Sound as emotional language: By weaving in ASMR and whispered audio, the film heightens the blurred line between comfort and discomfort.

Key Success Factors — Rawness, Sound, and Acute Observation

  • Emotional radicalism: The film refuses to smooth over awkwardness, presenting tension in a painfully realistic way.

  • Inventive soundscape: Its use of sound design makes intimacy almost tactile, amplifying unease while keeping the audience alert.

  • Precise performances: The actors embody everyday awkwardness so convincingly that the viewer feels part of the same uncomfortable space.

  • Relatability through specificity: While highly specific in its setting, it touches on universal feelings of vulnerability, jealousy, and the awkwardness of sharing space.

Awards & Nominations — Festival Momentum

This Closeness premiered in the Narrative Spotlight section at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in 2023, where it gained attention for its originality and emotional honesty. It went on to win the Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Youth Jury Award for Best Film at Valencia’s Cinema Jove. It was also screened at the Philadelphia Film Festival, further cementing its reputation as an indie standout. These accolades highlight its success in resonating with both critics and younger audiences.

Critics Reception — Cinema That Gets Under Your Skin

  • Rotten Tomatoes: The film holds a strong approval rating, showing critics largely embraced its bold intimacy.

  • San Jose Mercury News: Recognized Kit Zauhar as a perceptive storyteller who captures the awkwardness of strained relationships.

  • The New York Times: Praised the film for its wit and for how it reveals the complexities of closeness when it is both desired and enforced.

  • RogerEbert.com: Called the film claustrophobic in a way that is thrilling, like watching a pressure cooker slowly boil.

Overall: Critics appreciated its sharp emotional insight, while noting that its deliberate pace and confrontational honesty make it a film that may challenge, but also deeply reward, its audience.

Reviews — Subtle, Sharp, and Weirdly Familiar

  • Vague Visages: Highlighted the director’s ability to portray awkward behavior with empathy rather than mockery.

  • The Film Stage: Commended the film’s precision and control, describing it as an urban drama that feels painfully true to life.

  • Independent reviewers: Celebrated its raw portrayal of co-living and emotional claustrophobia, noting how the humor and discomfort blend seamlessly.

Summary: Reviews agree that the film succeeds by making the audience feel the same unease as its characters, turning intimacy into both a comfort and a threat.

Movie Trend — Intimacy as Conflict, Not Consolation

This Closeness belongs to a new wave of indie chamber dramas that use confined spaces and limited casts to intensify emotional conflict. Rather than portraying intimacy as comforting, the film shows how proximity can heighten anxiety, resentment, and self-exposure.

Social Trend — Silence, Sound, and Modern Vulnerability

The film reflects today’s fascination with mediated intimacy, especially through ASMR and whispered communication. It questions how closeness is shaped in the digital age, when vulnerability often feels both sought after and invasive. In this way, the film speaks to larger social concerns about how we share space, emotions, and personal boundaries.

Final Verdict — Comfortably Uncomfortable and Unmistakably Human

This Closeness is an emotionally raw and unsettling indie film that uses tight spaces and awkward silences to expose the complexity of human relationships. It may feel claustrophobic and even confrontational at times, but that is its strength. For viewers interested in films that linger in the uncomfortable corners of intimacy and force reflection on everyday dynamics, it offers an experience that is both challenging and deeply human.

 

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