Near - directed by and starring Jassa and winner of BEST UK SHORT at New Renaissance London Film Festival 2021 - premiered on YouTube on Valentine’s Day.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT - Jassa Ahluwalia
I was on the phone late one evening with writer Cristian Solimeno; I was telling him about how I’d recently prepared my grandfather’s body for his funeral. Sikh tradition dictates that same-sex family members wash and dress the body, and I explained to Cristian how heightened my sense of reality was in that moment.
This story sparked a conversation about the nature of reality, how we experience it, and whether or not it can be shared. The act of bathing my dead grandfather felt so intensely intimate, I couldn’t fathom how to express that emotion on film. As we spoke, Cristian remarked that perhaps conversation itself was all that was needed, no elaborate manipulation, just sincere observation.
Cristian’s resulting script was beautifully rich. On first glance it was a simple dialogue, but the more I read, the more his poetry revealed itself. Every element seemed to explore or embody how reality and intimacy intersect, with photography emerging as a central metaphor.
As I researched and planned, Susan Sontag’s ‘On Photography’ became a go-to source of inspiration, and the source of our opening quote: “To possess the world in the form of images is, precisely, to reexperience the unreality and remoteness of the real.”
This quote became a guiding principle. While we grounded performances in truth and nuance, we established a visual language that embraced the illusory nature of film. Long takes, minimal editing, anamorphic lenses, 1950s Hollywood inflected hair and makeup; each choice designed to create a subtle yet conscious sense of cinema. Sincere observation, but with acknowledgement of our lens.
Near is a portrait of intimacy. I hope it draws audiences deep into its delicate heart, prompting reflection on the difficulties of being close to others. A quietly resonant film for all who have ever loved.