Joachim Trier’s close-ups and autonomous moments

Abstract

The article discusses Joachim Trier’s use of close-ups, highlighting two examples: a lengthy close-up of Isabelle Huppert’s face in Louder Than Bombs (2015) and close-ups of the two protagonists in Reprise (2005). Taking its point of departure in film theoretical discussions of the close-up, the article argues that Trier in different ways creates autonomous moments through close focus on his protagonists’ faces. In Louder Than Bombs, the prolonged, almost static close-up of the face of the older female actress blurs boundaries between character and actress. In Reprise, delicate images of the two fragile young people seem to be protectively enveloped by the film’s close-ups. In both instances these autonomous moments create their own temporal and spatial unity and distribute moments of intensity and affect across the image surface.