Closure (2015)

The film is a character-driven thriller about Ants who is struggling between forgiveness and revenge towards a famous actor with whom he shares a traumatic past. Thematically, the film is about closure. Structure-wise, the story is told with book-end flashback structure, starting from the end and ending to the beginning. 

In the beginning, Ants hijacks a theater play that a famous actor, Margus Kuusk (30) is performing in front of a crowded audience, who still believe that the gunpoint stand-off is part of the play. Ants demands Margus to tell him his identity. In the flashback to the past, Ants is seen playing with his Father (60), who suffers from Alzheimer, a game “remember famous people” where the father recognizes everyone else, including Margus, but not his own son. After that, Ants is seen working as janitor in a theatre and finds out that Margus is coming to perform a big show in three days and arrives on the next day to rehearse it. 

With mixed feelings, Ants begins to prepare both a gift that includes an old classroom photo of their class but simultaneously also a way to scare the actor. He is adamant in getting a closure to his traumatic past. Once Margus arrives, the arrogant actor immediately brushes off Ants’ politeness, making Ants to use his “scare card” by dropping a stage light close to Margus without the actor knowing what really happened. In a genuine attempt again to befriend Margus, Ants offers large quantities of alcohol to the star, using the actor’s weakness for his benefit. He asks Margus a favor to come and visit his father to cheer him up and thus create a personal bond between the two. The actor agrees to the visit and manages to convince Ants, that he will keep his promise. Ants gives Margus a chance to recognize and acknowledge him, but the two are interrupted. Ants is hoping that the friendship will now begin to develop for him to forgive Margus instead of taking a revenge to reach a closure. Ants tells his father about an upcoming surprise, but also hears how the Father is disappointed in his son. The father still remembers Ants as a weak child who never fights back against anyone and allows people to walk over him. 

On the day before the show, in a hope for a real friendship, Ants attempts to give Margus the meticulously designed gift, including the classroom photo, a scarf and letter, but Margus rudely turns the gesture down. Ants takes matters to his own hand and secretly delivers the present to Margus’ dressing room. On the dining hall, the Director of Margus, confronts Ants for upsetting the star with his present and takes away Ants’ keys to the dressing room. Ants runs after Margus in desperation in order for the actor to change his mind, clear the issue and recognize him. Margus turns him down again, being intimidated in Ants’ overzealous attitude about the connection between the two. Ants is utterly humiliated and his anger begins bottle up to extreme. 

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease | father-son relationship | fame | majahoidja | putting end to one's past | nostalgia | actor | trauma | recognition | View all »