Kit Zauhar’s sophomore feature “This Closeness” follows the promise of her 2021 debut “Actual People,” which demonstrated she could tell an immersive story with few resources. Her microbudget feature “This Closeness,” a Narrative Spotlight premiere of SXSW 2023, is now about to open from Factory 25 on June 7, followed by a Mubi streaming premiere on July 3. Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.
Per IndieWire’s 2023 SXSW preview, “This Closeness” “wields its lo-fi constraints with tremendous sophistication and insight. The entire story takes place within the constraints of a Philadelphia apartment, booked by a young couple (Zauhar and Zane Pais) for a high school reunion weekend; once there, they find themselves dealing with the awkward loner (Ian Edlund) who lives there. As tensions mount, the movie dances an elegant line between cringe-comedy and erotic thriller, with Zauhar’s character, an ASMR YouTuber, developing an enigmatic bond with their temporary roommate while her own relationship with her boyfriend hits an unseemly snag. SXSW is the ideal launchpad for this kind of no-frills narrative experience, the sort of movie that gets under your skin through the sheer intelligence of its filmmaking prowess.”
Per the film‘s official synopsis, “‘This Closeness’ peers at the lives of three mid-20s young adults as tensions rise when a couple stays at the home of a reclusive host while in Philadelphia for a school reunion. The trio enters into an intimate battle to gain and regain territory over the course of a weekend. A meditation on connection and isolation in the modern world, the film offers an emotionally raw and honest dissection of how intimacy and vulnerability can be weaponized, and how masculinity within people of all genders can erode trust and understanding.”
The film stars Zane Pais and Ian Edlund with Zauhar in the lead. Actress and singer Jessie Pinnick (breakout talent of “Princess Cyd“) and multimedia artist Kate Williams round out the cast.
“This Closeness” is produced by Ani Schroeter and executive producers include Pais, Kyra Nicole Rogers, Gia Rigoli for Discordia, Pierce Varous for Nice Dissolve, and Rhianon Jones and Tristan Scott-Behrends for Neon Heart Productions, the independent production company best known for Emma Seligman’s “Shiva Baby” and Amanda Kramer’s “Give Me Pity!,” among others.
The film will begin its theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York City on June 7, with further engagements to follow. Check out the trailer and poster below.
