Closer

Set in a small New Zealand town, Closer is the story of a deaf teenage boy trying to come to terms with the death of his older sister. An emotionally locked-down father who has limited knowledge of sign language compounds his struggle. Written and directed by David Rittey (We The Living), and co-written by poet Therese Lloyd, Closer is a moving portrayal of the power and complexity of silence. Closer won Best Short Film and Best Performance at the 2005 NZ Screen Awards, and was selected to compete for the top short film prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

I like to use dialogue sparingly… for me, I like to tell the story through the images, and through cutting – through what people are doing rather than what they're saying. I don't like a lot of exposition. I like to keep it sort of mysterious.

– Closer director David Rittey

Key Cast & Crew

David Rittey

Director, Writer

Amanda Jenkins

Producer

Therese Lloyd

Writer

Michael Lawrence

As: Michael

Peter Salmon

Executive Producer

Tim Prebble

Sound