I've long found Lukas Hassel to be a fascinating human being. Possessing of a quiet intensity, Hassel is fiercely loyal to those who return the consideration and doesn't suffer fools well. 

We are, it would seem, surrounded by fools. 

I say all of these things, I suppose, with a lack of knowing beyond what I've experienced from the Denmark-born actor via various social media encounters and a years-long following of his work from feature films like Slapface and The Black Room and his recurring role on television's The Blacklist. I have perceived Hassel to be a certain way and that perception has fueled a deep appreciation for Hassel as both a human being and as an actor, writer, and increasingly as a director. 

Hassel is front-and-center in the 12-minute short film Up Close, a film for which Hassel serves as writer, director, and star along with support by the likes of Jeanine Bartel, Anne Bobby, Dan Domingues, and Jennifer Plotzke. 

Hassel is Simon, a married man whose absolute stuckness radiates through every fiber of his being. We meet him alongside his partner, a harried and irritating woman whose presence seems to be like nails on a chalkboard for Simon. And yet, this would seem to be more than simply marital discord. For Simon, there's a deep and repressed ache inside him that is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore. As he and his partner head toward a gathering it's clear he'd rather not attend, there's a growing tension as perpetuated cycles grow tiresome and Simon's ability to ignore his own needs becomes palpable. 

In short, Simon needs to make a drastic change in his life. 

For a good majority of the 12-minute running time of Up Close, we're left wondering whether we're in for a short film about grief, a psychological drama, a relationship drama or, in fact, a straight-out horror. I shan't  spoil it for you, of course, but the way Hassel spirals all of this into a mesmerizing conclusion is intuitive, inspired filmmaking and impossible to not watch. 

There's never any question that the focus of Up Close is Simon. We encounter Simon through a series of head and shoulder shots, Hassel's charismatic and emotionally resonant facial expressions driving everything we experience. Hassel ensures that we feel for Simon. We feel his frustration. We feel his grief. We feel his uncertainty. We feel that sense of desperation that drives the action forward. For those familiar with Hassel's work, we know that he's capable of a sizzling intensity. Instead, Hassel serves up a restrained desperation here that drew me in and refused to let me go. It's a marvelous performance from an actor with an ever-growing list of marvelous performances. 

The performances that surround Hassel are quieter, non-visual and yet masterful. Both Jeanine Bartel and Anne Bobby impress and Jennifer Plotzke is, as usual, sublime. 

Lensing by Henry B. Lee is impressive throughout, bold and electric yet intimate and jarring. Lee captures Hassel beautifully and it  would be hard to not be in awe of the film's visual tapestry. 

Up Close is set for its world premiere on May 3rd at 8pm at the iconic Coney Island Film Festival. It's an ideal premiere for this captivating short film that further amplifies the daring, bold creativity of writer/director Lukas Hassel.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic