- Date of Release: 10 June 2024
- Genre: Drama
- Language: Hebrew
- Watch On: Tribeca Film Festival
Come Closer
Introduction
One of the most painful things in the world is to deal with the loss of a loved one. And different folks have different ways to deal with it. Some grieve silently, while the others use it modes of distraction to get over it. It was at the Tribeca Film Festival that I had watched a bittersweet film titled Don’t You Let Me Go, a drama based on the silent grieving and reminiscence of the good ol’ days. This is in stark contrast to the film Come Closer, which is a little more trippy almost exhalting in a form of trance that is heartfelt yet bordering on the darker realms of obsession till realisation sets in. And weirdly, it is still a tale of nostalgia where reminescence is used as a tool of affection and aspiration, wishing to tick off the things that you wished to do with the other person. So then does Come Closer which did premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
In what seemed to be a personal account of the filmmaker Tom Nesher, Come Closer follows the story of Eden, grieving at the loss of her brother who comes across her brother’s girlfriend with whom she shares a playful yet dangerously obsessive relationship. The story here is unique in many ways while exploring the dynamics of characters dealing with loss. Yet, loss for each one of them is intimate and sacred to them, which often takes the form of obsession and a distraction. This was a tricky proposition on paper given that you needed to be invested in the psyche and journey of the characters to be fully emotionally invested. Yet, the writing here effortlessly draws you into the drama through its varied themes that are conflicting yet layered in many ways over its screenplay standing at a shade above 100 minutes.
The relationship of Eden with her brother is established early on, when she plots his kidnapping for his birthday only to take him to a remote location for a party. Given its premise, the writers give an early hint of the fate that Eden’s brother is going to meet with, even as you see him visiting his girlfriend before being kidnapped. This, until he meets his tragic fate only for Eden and her family’s world to turn upside down. The camera doesn’t leave sight of Eden, almost allowing the viewers to spend time with her. Judging by her wacky flaring hairstyle and her demeanor, you can sense that Eden is rebellious in nature while also being disconnected with her family. So when grief does strike her, she doesn’t really know how to let this negative energy out of her. And so you see her exploring ways of doing it – be it sleeping with her married boyfriend, or simply trying out the attire of her brother. This, until she bumps into her brother’s secret girlfriend with whom she starts developing a heartfelt bond.
The proceedings are playfully intimate even as you witness the journey of the protagonist as she gets attracted to her brother’s girlfriend. The justification wasn’t just of a physical obsession which it was, in fact, it was also a soul connection if you look at it from Eden’s point of view who previously shared a close bond with her sibling too. So this in a way was Eden’s way of paying her last respect to her brother, by having an intimate affair with his girlfriend that slowly begins to cross the darker realms of obsession. The dynamics of their budding relationship is intimate but complex so much so that Eden doesn’t like her girlfriend wanting to move on to another guy. On the other hand, Eden’s girlfriend is dealing with grief in her own way. She is heartbroken but also slightly more accepting to the fate of her boyfriend, even though her relationship with Eden is more of a journey of nostalgia, reminiscence and aspiration. The drama does enter a rather dark realm in its final act, a battle of ideologies related to the death of their beloved, which was partly shocking until realisation kicked in. The same was symbolic with the fact that Eden did dye her hair black, representative of letting go of her past even as realisation sets in. The screenplay here is trippy, heartfelt and tender that makes for a wonderful watch.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but laced with a playfully intimate and rebellious vibe that is a byproduct of grief in this case. The music and BGM blend perfectly well with the vibe of the drama, almost creating an ambience of intimacy and melancholy. The cinematography features frames that capture the trippy nature of the drama rather well. In a scene immediately after her brother’s death, you see Eden completely letting her hair down and dancing in a nightclub wherein she suddenly gets flashes of her brother. This scene was an epitome of the psyche of the protagonist who was grieving yet unsure on how to let her feelings out. And the lighting and frames beautiful compliment her feeling. The editing is brilliantly done as well, the case in point being the same scene with quick cuts to give a trippy outlook to the entire scene. Director Tom Nesher does a wonderful job in sharing a painful little chapter from her life(the final shot made me realise that this was based on a true incident). Her biggest strength lines in creating diabolically opposite characters with both having a common emotional thread of grief, while creating a playfully intimate world around them. The direction was excellent here wherein the director had a firm grip over things.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the rntire cast. Ido Tako has his moments to shine and does a good job despite a limited screen time. Jacob Zada Daniel and Netta Garti are first rate and bring varied emotions in the fray effortlessly. Darya Rosen as Eden’s brother’s girlfriend does an excellent job in a character who is quietly grieving while also being reminiscent of her journey that was aspirational in many ways. This, while having a matured shoulder of acceptance as well. She was wonderful to witness. Lia Elalouf as Eden was my favourite character – trippy, rebellious but also caring in many ways. It was easy to pass her off as an obsessive stalker but at her core, she too was grieving the loss of her brother and didn’t know how to let off her negativity. And these complex emotions were so well explored by her in what was a towering performance of the highest order. Her character arc was emotionally heartfelt in many ways.
Conclusion
As a part of our Tribeca Film Festival coverage, Come Closer is a trippy and heartfelt tale of grief, loss, obsession and realisation backed by strong performances that comes with my highest recommendation.
