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‘Come Closer’ Review: The Real-Life Death of a Brother Fuels a Surprising and Redemptive Take on Grief


Tom Nesher reworks a personal tragedy into an affirmational call to “choose life,” casting radiant Lia Elalouf as a thinly veiled version of herself.

A sexy, modern and uncommonly introspective debut feature from Ari Nesher’s sister, Tom, “ Come Closer ” does the work of confronting this tragedy, but not in the way you might expect: The film opens with charismatic young Nati (Ido Tako) nearly getting run over on a bike. In this telling, however, the boy escapes that accident unscathed, only to be abducted by friends and hauled to the beach for a surprise birthday party, orchestrated by a dazzling young woman (Lia Elalouf) with ruby red hair and iridescent splashes of color at the inner corner of each eye. Casting Elalouf as Eden does much of the work: With her magnetic eye makeup, the radiant star gives off early Gwyneth Paltrow vibes, crossed with the lively, mercurial spirit of a young Angelina Jolie (circa “Playing by Heart”).

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