Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
With every scene of Sundance Now‘s new dramedy This Close, we are pushed to look closer. Closer at the characters, closer at ourselves, closer at the way things are in the world (and the world of the show). Created by stars Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman, the series follows best friends Kate (Stern) and Michael (Feldman), two people so connected that we’re almost tricked into thinking they’re romantically involved when we first meet them. The only clue they’re not? Kate tucking her engagement ring out of sight.
The state of their relationship more clearly reveals itself when we learn that Kate has recently become engaged to her boyfriend Danny (Friday Night Lights star Zach Gilford, endearing as ever) but is hiding this information from Michael as he is going through a difficult breakup with his fiancé Ryan (Colt Prattes). All this (and more!) is explored in just the first half-hour episode, and done so with sensitivity, sincerity, and grace.
Oh, also: Kate and Michael are both deaf. It’s a fact that informs the series, but does not define it – and that’s important.
This Close chronicles the spectrum of the human experience with all its ups, downs, and in betweens. It’s a journey made richer by its deaf characters, for sure. Stern and Feldman are absolutely extraordinary in their roles, and watching them sign is such a beautiful breath of fresh air. Director Andrew Ahn manages to capture their innate expressiveness and the bold, compelling drama of the ASL, making for an experience unlike anything currently on the air right now (or perhaps ever). Watching the way Kate and Michael navigate the world is essential to understanding their experience, and viewers – both deaf and hearing – are likely to find multiple characters they connect with. They’re just that human.
With each of the six installments of This Close, we are gifted with an intimate look into the relationships of these characters and how they make their way through everyday life. The series gifts us with an unflinching look into the realities of friendship, sex, ambition, and relationships, and there’s an undeniable truth to every beat. If Stern, Feldman, and Gilford’s stunning performances weren’t enough, supporting roles filled by stars like Marlee Matlin and Cheryl Hines are the cherry on top. It’s a rare little miracle of a series, one that is simultaneously funny and heart-wrenching, fearless and familiar – even for people who may never have witnessed deaf performers flourish the way Stern and Feldman do.
It’s not often we see deaf people telling their own stories, but This Close is a testament to just how powerful and important this mode of storytelling can be. Several scenes (featuring Stern in particular) tackle some of the biggest problems with series featuring disabled individuals head-on. We see disabled people represented time and time again by folks who have never walked in their shoes, and it’s impossible to get the full realm of emotion, experience, and authenticity without the voice of the depicted included. This Close is groundbreaking, necessary, and the fact that it is a genuinely great series – down to its writing, performances, and subject matter – only proves that a platform for this kind of storytelling is long overdue.
