Kantemir Balagov’s debut feature raises some of the most disturbing questions about war—real, pretended, private, or public—which has become part of our everyday.
The film follows a regular Jewish family living in Nalchik, North Caucasus, in 1998. Ilana works at her father’s garage, while her brother David is preparing for his wedding. David and his fiancée are kidnapped the night after their engagement and a ransom demand is delivered to the family. In a region ruled by tribal and criminal law, involving the police would be useless. Ilana and her parents have to wage this war by themselves.
Kantemir Balagov’s debut feature Closeness was selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, which features bold cinematic experiments by young filmmakers. The film has received praise from the festival’s director Thierry Frémaux as an example of the ongoing revival of the Russian film industry.
Closeness
Dir. Kantemir Balagov
Russia, 2017. 118 min. 18+