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Close Movie Review

Close is a 2022 Belgian coming-of-age drama film directed by Lukas Dhont. It is a very difficult, emotional film about the pains of growing up.

Léo and Remi are two 13-year-old best friends whose seemingly unbreakable bond is suddenly and tragically torn apart. This is one of those movies that feel very personal for the director as it has that sense of immediacy and honesty that only somebody who experienced something similar could use to make a film out of it. That intimacy and raw emotion is the highlight here.

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In a unique approach for coming-of-age stories, Close deals with the gay experience. Yes, this is not explicitly stated as the movie is nuanced in the boys’ depictions, but there is no doubt about it – both of these boys will grow up to be gay. They are extremely close friends who share everything and who even share a tender, gentler than usual dynamic for boys.

The movie emphasizes just how difficult it is for men and boys to have a gentle friendship. Society would not allow it and when the boys go to school, this is when everything crashes down on them, especially the pressure of being observed and analyzed by everybody else. This depiction of school life was extremely realistic and relatable to me personally and I empathized strongly with their plight in that regard.

Whether the movie is about love or friendship, eventually it becomes about something altogether different as the other boy dies and the protagonist is left to cope with the loss of his best friend. This is where the movie switches gears and becomes a film about loss, in particular about how strange and unspeakable death must feel like to children.

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I would say that this theme was also well handled, but by going into that territory, the movie did somewhat sacrifice the previous themes that were much more specific and intriguing. Again, both halves worked, but it made me wonder what other movie could we have gotten had the director stuck with his first and primary motif.

The acting performances are uniformly terrific. Eden Dambrine’s work in the main role is powerful and it’s the best child performance of the year, there is no question about that. Others also impress in smaller roles, but his arc is the best and deepest one. There is also a significant time devoted to his relationship with his late friend’s mother and those moments were highly touching and quite effective.

The dialogue in the first act was somewhat unrealistic for children, but it became better and more confident toward the end. Close is so well edited and paced that it is gripping from beginning to end. The directing by Lukas Dhont is very good and the film has such a unique atmosphere full of melancholy an sorrow. It’s an authentic movie that deals with themes that you rarely see dealt with anywhere else, especially in regards to male relationships and just how it’s not expected of males to be tender. I just wish the second half was as subtle as the first one.

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