By Omeleto
.
.
Mitch is a real estate agent who is desperate to sell a foreclosed house on his roster. In a “Hail Mary” pass of a showing, he shows the home to a couple, Suzanne and Carl. But from the get-go, they’re a tense pair, at odds with one another.
The couple’s tension only ratchets up as they tour the home. As they wrangle over the particulars of the house, their travails come to the fore — his unemployment, her infertility — as they devolve into a physical altercation that destroys the home, and maybe their marriage.
Written and directed by Mike Peebler, this short dark comedy is a heightened affair, one that goes for the jugular in terms of emotion and action. Shot with a gleamingly cheerful visual sensibility, the brightly optimistic look and feel of the film are an ironic contrast to the bitterness and acrimony that unfolds.
Big life changes like buying a house or having a child often spark conflict and open up rifts between life partners, but this film takes this notion and amps it up to a hilariously (and scarily) exaggerated level. As the couple looks over the house and their sarcastic discussion devolves into a fight, it could almost be slapstick if not for the brutal emotional truths that underlie the fight, which is cleverly and memorably unspooled with each well-paced blow, punch and shout. The husband and wife have become resentful of one another after a series of trials and disappointments, and that resentment comes to a boil as they confront their future in a possible new home.
The fight and camerawork are well-staged, as the pair’s emotional violence is literalized into a physical altercation. Capturing the fight in a long take full of movement and action is also equally impressive. Actors Andi Norris and Jeff Budner don’t play their anger, frustration and rage for laughs, but with genuine emotion. Amid the falls, punches, slaps and worse, they’re able to maintain a specificity of character, feeling and relationship, one that has reached its breaking point for both partners.
Of course, the zinger at the end of “For Closure” shows that many people learn to function with some degree of dysfunction, especially after they’ve gotten everything off their chest. That’s one of the truths among many that the film exaggerates to the point of hyperbole, to memorable effect. Many life-long relationships are a build-up of unspoken resentments and grievances. In a society that pushes impossible romantic ideals, it’s untoward to admit that this “death by a thousand cuts” can push spouses to rage and even hate. “For Closure” pushes these insights into the literal and visible, bringing a new spin to the term “brutal honesty” with impressive craft and a dark but knowing humor about love and human nature.
Transcript provided by YouTube:
0:04
[Music]
0:14
one no that’s it
0:16
and it was just a dude who wanted a
0:18
cookie
0:20
because i’m the new guy and i haven’t
0:22
sold anything yet that’s why
0:27
we’ll figure it out
0:29
no i’m not asking your parents for any
0:31
more money
0:32
because i’m not i just need to sell this
0:34
house today
0:36
i gotta go somebody’s here
0:40
jesus
0:41
oh
0:42
it’s it’s got potential
0:46
like us
0:50
welcome i’m mitchell
0:52
you guys are here to see the house
0:53
unfortunately
0:55
the listing didn’t mention that it was
0:56
skyscraper adjacent
0:59
she’s kidding
1:02
would you guys like to come inside see
1:04
some of the amenities
1:05
come on in i know you’re gonna love it
1:08
i can’t believe we’re doing this oh come
1:10
on i’m sure it looks much better on the
1:11
inside just give it a chance okay
1:16
would you like a cookie yes please
1:20
blood sugar
1:22
they’re probably stale anyway here come
1:24
follow me i’ll show you around
1:27
so it’s a super cute two bed two bath
1:30
perfect starter home for a happy young
1:32
couple like you guys
1:34
this is the living room we’ll start here
1:36
it’s got hardwood floors throughout the
1:39
entire house fireplace
1:42
it has a few bumps and scratches here
1:44
and there but nothing that a little bit
1:46
of love and elbow grease couldn’t cure
1:48
right uh
1:50
mitch
1:51
it is a foreclosure so everything is as
1:55
is
1:56
it’s a bit of a fixer-upper just like my
1:58
husband
2:02
so would you guys like to come see some
2:04
of these bedrooms
2:06
do you have any littles oh um
2:10
well
2:12
we’re working on it right honey
2:19
why don’t we start with the kitchen
2:20
instead what the hell was that stop
2:23
being such a
2:25
so you got your stove your microwave
2:28
it’s a really warm inviting environment
2:31
they took the fridge when they left but
2:32
they left the hookups and through here
2:34
we have this cute little dining area or
2:37
it could be a breakfast nook if you want
2:40
i just love all these
2:42
little elements in the architecture it’s
2:44
really cute right can you please stop
2:46
using that word
2:48
cute she hates cute i don’t hate cute
2:52
i don’t hate cute
2:56
so what do you guys do for work
3:00
you first carl
3:06
i’m currently
3:09
unemployed which is why we’re looking at
3:11
foreclosures
3:12
do you want to tell them why you’re
3:14
currently unemployed no
3:16
i
3:17
was
3:18
a teacher and and i told a joke
3:24
a lewd joke to a classroom full of 14
3:27
year olds and that is why we’re looking
3:29
at foreclosures
3:31
next room
3:33
uh um
3:36
yeah so uh right through here we have
3:38
the sliding glass doors that leads to
3:40
the backyard and the pool area is
3:43
probably my favorite spot on the whole
3:44
property do you want to go check that
3:46
out or should we see those bedrooms
3:47
first oh what does it matter i’ll
3:48
probably be sleeping on the couch
3:50
anyways god carl stop being such a baby
3:54
you know maybe i wouldn’t be such a baby
3:55
if you were able to have one
4:05
well maybe i could have one if you could
4:08
get your uh
4:12
one
4:26
there is nothing wrong with my
4:29
mansion come here
4:31
yeah that that’s fine uh this bathroom
4:33
is great too oh you see they didn’t take
4:36
everything when they left but that is a
4:38
massaging showerhead this is because
4:40
you’re constantly emasculating me and
4:43
it’s totally destroyed my confidence
4:47
[Music]
4:53
still got good water pressure
4:57
no way maybe this isn’t the right place
4:59
for you
5:00
[Music]
5:05
come back here
5:11
[Applause]
5:17
[Applause]
5:21
you
5:21
changed carl
5:23
you were not the man i fell in love with
5:26
suzanne
5:28
drop the hammer
5:30
and calm down
5:32
calm down
5:34
you want me to calm down
5:37
that’s not exactly what i meant
5:41
this is
5:51
[Music]
5:53
you’re boring
5:55
you’re weak
5:59
you used to surprise me
6:20
surprise
6:22
better
6:35
[Music]
6:46
you’re tougher than i thought
6:50
is that a compliment
6:54
maybe
6:57
you know you’re a real one you want to
6:59
be
7:00
oh yeah
7:02
[Music]
7:08
[Music]
7:12
i want you guys off this property
7:16
we’ll take it
7:20
[Music]
7:38
[Music]
8:32
you
—
This post was previously published on YouTube.
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