Sundance Film Festival 2025 – Hold Me Close zooms in on some of the most intimate moments and conversations between two queer Black women, Corinne and Tiana. Though the short documentary doesn’t ever leave the couple’s shared home, it still provides insight on both their joys and some of their biggest fears.

Directed by Aurora Brachman and Latajh Weaver, the documentary shows its subjects eating ice cream, dancing, brushing their teeth, and going through the ups and downs of a relationship. Though some of the footage focuses on the mundane aspects of a couple’s daily life, the conversations they have are anything but. In particular, they talk about the struggles they face with acceptance, including from family members. They discuss other heavy subject matters, too, such as whether or not heaven exists and what happens once we die. The conversations, which are presented like voice overs, are far more interesting than the images presented.

In fact, though the documentary is roughly about 20 minutes long, it may test the patience of its viewers. As stated, a lot of the footage isn’t all that intriguing. Most couples, when home, aren’t all that fascinating. Really, there’s only so much footage of a couple lying tangled in bed that one can take before it starts to feel monotonous. The more fascinating subject matter comes through the conversations. Yet perhaps the filmmakers wanted to show that these two lovers are as normal as any other couple.

Hold Me Close creates an intimate portrait of a queer Black couple. While the footage of their day to day lives plays a bit dull, the conversations they have are engaging, sometimes underscoring their greatest struggles and insecurities. This makes for a slice-of-life documentary that gets up close and personal.