A look at the end of love.
No matter what the circumstances, the end of every relationship is difficult. But it can be argued that the more bombastic or caustic the end of a relationship, the easier it is to deal with. Sure, you’ve been hurt, maybe even egregiously so, but in that hurt there’s a level of resentment that in some ways makes it easier to leave. On the other side of the coin, though, those relationships that aren’t torn apart by an event or a situation, the relationships that just fizzle out or fade away over time, can be the most difficult to walk away from, because you haven’t lost your love, you’ve downsized it to a level where it’s in both persons’ best interests to seek out something new.
It’s this latter sort of dissolving relationship that is at the heart of Dan Marcus’ Closure, a 20-minute character study short film that deals with a couple (Kimberly Michelle Vaughn and Joel Reitsma) at the end of their relationship, though both are reticent to acknowledge and act on that ending.
As someone who, like a lot of you I imagine, has dealt with both kind of breakups mentioned above, I was instantly captivated by Closure and especially the earnest performances of its leads. Marcus has a storytelling ear expertly tuned to the frequency of human emotion and his actors inhabit their roles with a heartbreaking palpability. DP Tom Doherty does his part as well at conveying an intimate, interpersonal tale thanks to his lean and graceful cinematography.
It’s not an easy watch, emotionally-speaking, but the best films shouldn’t be, they should challenge your emotions, they should make you feel to a point you almost can’t take it. Closure does that, and you need to see how.
Related Topics: Short Films
