Close (Film Review)

Creating a personal story is the key to making excellent and emotional films. Or at least, according to Belgian director Lukas Dhont. After taking the film industry by storm with his Girl, a stunning film about a boy being unhappy with his body and having to deal with self-mutilation, low self-esteem and family problems, he has now made an equally emotional and moving movie. Close tells the gripping story of a close friendship between two teenage boys, resulting in a vulnerable and unforgettable film.

The two 13-year-old boys and close friends, Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele), have a great childhood. Discovering the beautiful Belgian countryside, playing games and biking together to school every morning. They even share the bed. Yes, their relationship is extremely close and intimate. When the new school year starts, their new classmates quickly question the physical intimacy between Léo and Rémi. No one has problems with girls being close, but when it's boys, the way of thinking changes drastically.

When students start calling the boys ‘faggots' and asking them whether they're a couple, everything changes for Léo and Rémi. Léo starts questioning his sexuality and tries to spend as little time with Rémi as possible. This is just in case people are right about them. To prove his masculinity, he even takes up ice hockey. Sadly, the growing distance between the boys has tragic consequences, and nothing will ever be the same.

This movie is based on Dhont's childhood memories. He was the “girly” boy who struggled with forming close friendships with male classmates without people questioning his sexuality. When watching Close, it's clear that this movie was made with much thought, care and love. The movie perfectly captures a close friendship, the fragility of life and love and the school environment (think of the usual cliques, hierarchies, bullies, etc.), resulting in a recognizable and emotional story.

The intimacy, on a personal, physical and emotional level, doesn't only come through in the storyline but also in the remarkable lead performances. Dambrine and De Waele debut in this film, and they stunningly do that! De Waele perfectly captures intelligence, loyalty and fragility, while Dambrine portrays every emotion on the spectrum beautifully. You look into Dambrine's wide eyes and feel whatever Léo is going through. What heightens the emotions even more is the moving and dreamy score by Valentin Hadjadj (Ladies of the Wood, Girl). While the score is used too frequently, it doesn't diminish the stunning lead performances. The young and highly gifted actors are getting the support of a wonderful cast, especially Émilie Dequenne (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Our Children) and Léa Drucker (Custody, L'homme de sa vie), who respectively portray Rémi's and Léo's mothers.

While the first half of Close might feel a bit slow, the second half certainly makes up for that. It's intense, compelling and very personal. The close-ups and extremely powerful wide shots say everything you need to know about this honest and crushing story, even with no words.

After its world premiere during the Cannes Film Festival, Close travelled worldwide. It even became an Academy Award nominee in the “Best International Feature Film” category. It's understandable why audiences and industry people praise this movie. Close grabs, moves and crushes you from the very first moment because of the heart-breaking and personal storyline and the phenomenal leads!

Close is out now in cinemas in U.K. and on MUBI from the 21st of April.