<jats:p>The article discusses Joachim Trier’s use of close-ups, highlighting two examples: a lengthy close-up of Isabelle Huppert’s face in <jats:italic>Louder Than Bombs</jats:italic> (2015) and close-ups of the two protagonists in <jats:italic>Reprise</jats:italic> (2005). Taking its point of departure in film theoretical discussions of the close-up, the article argues that Trier in different ways creates autonomous moments through close focus on his protagonists’ faces. In <jats:italic>Louder Than Bombs</jats:italic>, the prolonged, almost static close-up of the face of the older female actress blurs boundaries between character and actress. In <jats:italic>Reprise</jats:italic>, delicate images of the two fragile young people seem to be protectively enveloped by the film’s close-ups. In both instances these autonomous moments create their own temporal and spatial unity and distribute moments of intensity and affect across the image surface.</jats:p>