Closeness (film)

Closeness
Closeness
	Film poster
Directed by	Kantemir Balagov
Written by	Kantemir Balagov; Anton Yarush;
Produced by	Nikolay Yankin; Alexander Sokurov;
Starring	Darya Zhovner
Cinematography	Artem Emelyanov
Edited by	Kantemir Balagov
Release date	24 May 2017 (Cannes);
Running time	118 minutes
Country	Russia
Languages	Russian; Kabardian;
Box office	$184,008

Closeness (Russian: Теснота) is a 2017 Russian drama film directed by Kantemir Balagov, in his feature film debut. It was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]^[3] At Cannes, it won the FIPRESCI Prize in the Un Certain Regard section.^[4]

Plot[]

In 1998 at Nalchik, 24-year-old Ilana (Zhovner) works in her father's garage to help him make ends meet. One evening, her extended family and friends gather to celebrate the engagement of her younger brother David. Later that night, the young couple is kidnapped, and a ransom demand delivered.^[5]

Cast[]

Darya Zhovner as Ilana
Olga Dragunova as Adina
Artem Tsypin as Avi
Nazir Zhukov as Zalim
Veniamin Katz as David
Michail Amburg as Moshe

Reception[]

Closeness grossed $184,008 worldwide.^[1] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 7.69/10.^[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[7]