THIS CLOSENESS Trailer: The Discomfort of Strangers

With her sophomore film This Closeness, a sleeper hit on the indie festival circuit in 2023, Kit Zauhar is quickly becoming one of the most interesting filmmakers on the American indie scene. Her honest and disquieting look at 20-something life, for a generation that is increasingly adrift in world that seems to have little to offer them. Making their own way is daunting, yet her characters suggest both vulnerability and ingenuity, even as they fumble towards a hoped-for satisfaction without clear direction. Factory25 will shortly be releasing the film in US cinemas.

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 my review of the film for its SXSW screening, I wrote: "Zauhar doesn't give [easy answers], because there isn't one; life and its trappings, on how younger people must scramble even more to survive, mean that vulnerabilities become greater liabilities, especially if you have to  rely on others. Surviving comes to mean more often, ignoring deep rooted problems, even if it might mean a deep unhappiness.
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The film will have a theatrical rollout beginning June 7th, and a new trailer and poster have dropped. Check them out below.