ShortList 2017: 'Close Ties' Finds Intimacy in a Small Space (Video)

What makes Polish documentarian Zofia Kowalewska’s “Close Ties” so compellingly intimate isn’t in how it covers a husband and wife’s interactions, or even the length of their relationship — but rather the small space in which they live.

“Close Ties” — one of 12 finalist films in TheWrap’s 2017 ShortList Film Festival, presented with support from IMAX — centers on an elderly Polish couple as they near their 45th wedding anniversary. The husband has spent the past eight years living with another woman (while still married to his wife), which his wife, understandably, has a hard time reconciling with. A relationship that is already strained, the tiny Krakow apartment the elderly couple shares only adds to the tension.

Also Read: ShortList 2017: 'Chekhov' Is Real, Hyper-Personal Film (Video)

As husband and wife navigate their tenuous relationship, they must also navigate the small space in which they live. Being in constant close physical contact forces them to examine their emotional relationship. In navigating their shared space, they rediscover their love for one another. This becomes apparent at the end of the film when the couple’s family joins them for their anniversary dinner. The husband apologizes to his wife for his past actions, and they share a hug and a kiss as their children and grandchildren lovingly cheer them on.

An interesting fact about “Close Ties” is that the elderly couple are filmmaker Zofia Kowalewska’s real-life grandparents. Kowalewska herself also makes an appearance in her film: She can be seen at the anniversary dinner.

Also Read: ShortList 2017: 'The Silence' Is Haunting Tale of Grief Lost in Translation (Video)

Living with another person can be frustrating. Living in a small space with another person can be even more frustrating. While these circumstances could easily tear any couple apart, the elderly couple of “Close Ties” conquered these challenges. Their 45-year-long marriage found new vitality after eight years of tension. If they can withstand that, surely they can make it through anything.

Watch the short film above. Viewers can also screen the films at any time during the festival at Shortlistfilmfestival.com and vote from Aug. 8-22. Presented with support from IMAX.

The Scene at ShortList 2016: TheWrap's 5th Annual Short Film Festival (Photos)

TheWrap's Sharon Waxman and Steve Pond join the finalists at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival on Wedenesday night at YouTube Space LA.
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"Maman(s)" director Maïmouna Doucouré accepts the Imax Jury Prize at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Slingshot" director David Hansen accepts the Audience Prize at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Thunder Road" director Jim Cummings accepts the Creators League Prize at the fith annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Finalists on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Jury members Catherine Hardwicke, Kevin Iwashina, Bec Smith, Jennifer Levine and TheWrap's Sharon Waxman at the ShortList Film Festival ceremony.
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Finalist filmmakers mingle at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Glove" directors Alexa Lim Haas and Bernardo Britto at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Thunder Road" director Jim Cummings and PepsiCo's Ally Polly at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Send-Off" directors Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan talk budgets at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Director Jörn Threlfall, jury member Jennifer Levine, Sharon Waxman and director Maïmouna Doucouré at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"These C*cksucking Tears" director Dan Taberski speaks at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Boxeadora" director Meg Smaker speaks on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Jury members Catherine Hardwicke, Kevin Iwashina, Bec Smith, Jennifer Levine and TheWrap's Sharon Waxman.
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TheWrap's Sharon Waxman and "Over" director Jörn Threlfall at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Honest Trailers" creator Andy Signore at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival, who presented the Audience Prize
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Killer" director Matt Kazman at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Glove" directors Alexa Lim Haas and Bernardo Britto at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Finalist filmmakers mingle at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Maman(s)" director Maïmouna Doucouré speaks on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap's Sharon Waxman opens the awards ceremony at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Finalists on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Finalists on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Maman(s)" director Maïmouna Doucouré on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
Ted Soqui
Finalists on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Finalists on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
Ted Soqui
Finalists on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
Ted Soqui
"Thunder Road" director Jim Cummings on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Directors Maïmouna Doucouré and Dan Taberski at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Jury member Jennifer Levine at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Slingshot" director David Hansen at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Boxeadora" director Meg Smaker at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"These C*cksucking Tears" director Dan Taberski at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Maman(s)" director Maïmouna Doucouré at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Jury member Kevin Iwashina at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Send-Off" directors Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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PepsiCo's Ally Polly at the 5th Annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap's Sharon Waxman at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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PepsiCo's Ally Polly on stage at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap's Sharon Waxman and Jury member Catherine Hardwicke at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Slingshot" director David Hansen at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The crowd at the fifth annual ShortList Film Festival.
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