Synopsis

Winner of the Grand Prix award at Cannes 2022 and selected as the Belgian entry for the 2023 Academy Awards, CLOSE is an elegant, poetic and empathetic study of youth from acclaimed writer-director Lukas Dhont.
Thirteen-year-olds Leo and Remi are inseparable; they spend every waking moment together, racing each other on their bikes, playing in the fields that surround their homes, and sleeping at each other’s houses. They are best friends, as close as brothers. However, as they start a new school year, the pressures of burgeoning adolescence challenge their bond with unexpected and far-reaching consequences. With incredibly authentic and emotional performances from newcomers Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele, Dhont’s latest film is as evocative as it is visually stunning, set against the rich landscape of the Belgian countryside. A powerful coming-of-age story, this profoundly moving portrait of male friendship offers a depiction of intimacy and masculinity that is sure to have an enduring impact

Critics Views

“Close is a great film about friendship, but perhaps an even greater one about being alone.”
The Telegraph

“Dhont and his team know just how to turn up the emotional dials with stunning magic-hour lensing that gives golden-haired Dambrine a halo of backlit suffering as he stands in fields of nodding dahlias, that most gloriously domestic and benevolent flower.”
The Hollywood Reporter

“The combination of knock-out performances, in particular from newcomer Eden Dambrine as Léo, and direction of uncommon sensitivity from Dhont makes for a picture which is intimate in scope but which packs a considerable emotional wallop.” Screen Daily

“There’s no doubting the force of this drenchingly sad story.”
The Guardian

“Guileless performances, understated direction and bucolic Belgian scenery combine to create a quiet gem of a film.”
Total Film

Awards

Cannes Film Festival 2022
[Nominee]
Palme d’Or – Lukas Dhont]

[Nominee] Queer Palm – Lukas Dhont
Lukas Dhont
[Winner]
Grand Prize of the Festival – Lukas Dhont (Jointly Awarded)

Academy Awards
[Nominated 2023]
Best International Feature Film

Golden Globe Awards
[Nominated 2023] 
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language

Film Rating

IMDb
 Critics: 81%  Audience 78%

Rotten Tomatoes
Critics positive review 92%   Audience Liked It 86%

 Stockbridge Audience Score: 84%

Audience Comments

A beautiful film in so many ways – cinematography, actors, music, plot, screenplay. Spellbinding to watch.
Brilliant film – with wonderfully understated performances. A heart-rending evocation of the pains of adolescence and searching for identities while growing up. How very refreshingly European in a month when we’ve been blasted by Oppenheimer and Barbie’s transatlantic excesses!
A superb study of a close relationship between two boys but, personally, I felt it just that little too long. Having said that, it would be challenging to omit any section of the film for fear of destroying the realistic portrayal of Leo’s excruciating dilemma of how to maintain his relationship with Remi while trying to be accepted by his peers.
Superb acting, superb cinematography. Glad of subtitles – struggled with Belgian French!
Wonderful acting and cinematography
Exceptional acting, intelligent and sensitive
A little short on content, to the point of leaving interpretation of the relationships very much up to the viewer. Maybe that was the intention, but I felt that it relied too heavily on the visuals and cinematography and not enough on dialogue. I found it a little boring.