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An Interview with Lukas Hassel, Director and Star of Up Close

by Mike Haberfelner

January 2025

Lukas Hassel on (re)Search my Trash

 

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Your new movie Up Close - in a few words, what's it about?

 

Up Close is about a married man who realizes his life is stuck in a rut and decides to make a drastic change with surprising results.

 

What were your sources of inspiration when writing Up Close, and is any of it based on personal experiences?

 

Up Close is inspired by the notion if something doesn’t work for you, change it. Whether it be a job, a relationship or any life choice. Life is too short for living a life you don’t really want. In this short film, I turned up the heat on this concept to really explore making a strong choice and change.

 

Do talk about Up Close's brand of humour for a bit!

 

I’m not a fan of horror comedies per se, but that said, I find that if something mundane is juxtaposed with something extreme, the contrast can be hilarious. Twisted darkness works best with a smidgen of light to highlight the difference.

 

You've made a rather unusual directorial choice in Up Close by pointing the camera at your protagonist's face at all times - now what triggered this choice, and was this already your intention when you started to write your movie or did it only sneak in later on?

 

I’ve always been fascinated by the signs we miss in a social context. At a dinner table, we chat, we eat, we drink, we look away - and sometimes miss the interesting signals another person can emit. Keeping the camera on the protagonist the whole time, we get to see everything. Every thought, every reaction to what happens around him. People in the scene may miss it, but we, as viewers, won’t. That is an intriguing concept. It’s all in the details of what a person tries to cover up or conceal. 

 

On the other side of the camera, you of course also play the lead in Up Close - so for you as an actor, what were the challenges (if any) of having the camera in your face at all times?

 

I’ve acted in other shorts of mine before and to me, it’s an advantage. I know what I can do as an actor and having written the script, I know exactly the beats I need, the editing, the transitions I need, so playing the protagonist was a no-brainer. The interesting thing for this film that were no cutaways, no inserts of any kind, so there was nowhere to hide. If something went wrong in a take, we had to ditch it and start over. Essentially we had to shoot entire scenes until I got what I wanted in its entirety. The luxury was I didn’t have to worry about continuity.

 

So do talk about your character in Up Close for a bit, what did you draw upon to bring him to life, and have you written Simon with yourself in mind from the get-go?

 

I wrote Simon knowing I’d play him. I wasn’t really keen on shooting another short film, but since I’m in the lengthy process of raising funds for a feature film, I thought a short film would keep my head in the director’s game. I decided if I was to do another short film, I wanted to shoot something experimental, challenge myself and not just make more of the same. Up Close did that. Up until the final edit I wasn’t sure it would work, but I’m happy with it now. I knew this film needed an excellent sound design as so much happens off camera, and thankfully I had an ace up my sleeve - the wonderful sound designer David Salierno whom I have worked with before. He’s a genius and he really understood what I was going for. Also on the team, Chelsea Rugg is wonderful editor who I can always throw a question at and get a thoughtful response. Surrounding myself with a gifted team makes my life so much easier.

 

What can you tell us about the rest of your cast, and why exactly these people?

 

Because the rest of the cast is off screen, I needed voices that were distinct as well as actors who be able to bring life to a role without the visual support. Anne Bobby [Anne Bobby interview - click here] is a good friend and she is always game for a challenge. She elevated the dinner scene with her excellent play off the talented Dan Domingues. Jeanine Bartel played my wife and had the right tone of entitlement and warmth I was looking for. Jennifer Plotzke [Jennifer Plotzke interview - click here] really knew how to channel the cold but smooth “hostess with the mostest” energy. My husband Petros Levounis snuck in there as the Interviewer and it’s always great to have him involved with my projects.

 

The $64-question of course, where can Up Close be seen?

 

Up Close was literally just completed last week. So I’m working on a trailer and we have slowly started the film festival submission process. So let’s see if this odd short gets any love from the circuit. I hope it will get programmed. Time will tell.

 

Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Up Close yet?

 

It’s only been shared by a few insiders and so far I’ve been relieved at the overwhelmingly positive reception.

 

Any future projects you'd like to share?

 

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My feature film House of Abraham (I wrote the script and acted opposite Natasha Henstridge and Lin Shaye) is coming out this year theatrically and on streaming. Directed by Lisa Belcher, we’re working hard on finding a good home for it. Announcements will come soon. Follow on Instagram for updates. Also, working on financing for a feature based on my sci-fi short, Into the Dark, with a great team in Seattle led by Ben Andrews.

 

Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?

 

www.lukashassel.com, Lukas Hassel on Instagram, Houseofabrahammovie on Instagram, Lukas Hassel on Blue Sky.

 

Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?

 

Silence is complicity. Speak up against nonsense.

 

Thanks for the interview!

 

© by Mike Haberfelner


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Thanks for watching !!!



 

 

In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

Amazon

Amazon UK

Vimeo

 

 

 

Robots and rats,
demons and potholes,
cuddly toys and
shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

is all of that.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
-
a collection of short stories and mini-plays
ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic
to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle, all thought up by
the twisted mind of
screenwriter and film reviewer
Michael Haberfelner.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

the new anthology by
Michael Haberfelner

 

Out now from
Amazon!!!