"CLOSE-UP" is a dramatic feature film told through the eyes of a failed Philadelphia actor who has succumbed to drug addiction. Our story follows him during the Holidays as he desperately tries to regain everything he has lost in his life; his wife and child, his job, and his pride, before it's too late. Over the course of one day on New Years Eve in New York City, a young vibrant woman, Freebird, shows him how to stand up, discover himself and move on with his life.—Jose Cruz Jr.
A young man in his late twenties sits on the edge of his bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Behind him, outside the window of his third floor North Philadelphia apartment, an El Train roars by vibrating the small efficiency. The man is thirty days shy of being clean from a cocaine addiction.
He has no name. But, he could be your brother or your father. Hell, he could even be your sister or your mother too. For all intents and purposes, well call him STRAGGLER. After a voiceover describing the journey our lead character intends on taking the audience, we discover Straggler was actually at an audition and reciting a monologue. The audition does not go over well and he is handed a flier by a casting agent for acting classes.
Soon after, Straggler finds himself going on an emotional and spiritual journey across New York City with a young vibrant woman he meets and nicknames Freebird. She shows him how to stand up, rediscover himself and move on with his life over the course of one day on New Years Eve.
