If cinema raises our awareness of spaces, no other genre does it better than the huis clos – if we can call it a genre. Filmexplorer’s curated film program offers an exploration of the various uses of this motive in contemporary cinema. Not only are the spaces where these huis clos take place significant – be it a yacht, a dance hall, a flat or a family home – but also the related meanings and emotional resonances they create through their aesthetics and narrative structures. Whether it depicts the vanity of men (Chevalier), a collective ecstasy (Climax), a drama of desire (Das Mädchen und die Spinne), domestic violence (Mustang) or the worrying ability of humans to give up freedom (The Pink Cloud), the huis clos appears to be the most effective catalyst for stressing uncanny behaviours of humankind.
