Close

Close is a difficult movie to talk about, and one that has already elicited a lot of strong emotions from people who have seen it. There is little doubt about the quality of the performances and craftsmanship that went into the production. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. But it is not only a devastating portrayal of grief, but one that involves two young children, causing some to wonder what the point of the story is beyond exploitation. I personally was fully in the movie's grip and think the accolades it has received are more than well deserved, but it certainly raises an interesting conversation.

Director Lukas Dhont is no stranger to controversy. His feature-length debut Girl (2018) received similar acclaim but was criticized by some trans and queer writers for its depiction of gender dysphoria and self-harm. Dhont appears to be well-intentioned and Close is made with thought and care, but it still provokes.

The story is set in beautiful rural Belgium and centers around two 13-year-old boys, Léo and Rémi, who are best friends with a deeply intimate affection for one another. The movie very carefully avoids saying that they are gay outright, but it is almost certainly queer coded; maybe one or both of the characters just haven't realized it yet. Even if they aren't gay, it can be seen as occurring in the age of innocence where two boys can share a bed and show physical affection without being self-conscious about it.

Léo's family does agricultural work on a flower farm, and lives nearby to Rémi and his family, who treat Léo as another member of the family. The two young lads happily run through the fields, playing games and spending every minute together in a happy environment surrounded by loving families.

Things start to change when the two boys start middle school. They are in the same classes and continue to be attached at the hip, which leads their classmates, in textbook examples of heteronormativity, to start teasing them. A group of female students ask Léo and Rémi if they are a couple, and Léo quickly denies it, but immediately starts to become suddenly uneasy around Rémi, distancing him by hanging out with new friends, taking up ice hockey and spending more time helping his family work on the farm. The once carefree and intimate relationship starts to show signs of strain.

From here on out, it's pretty impossible to discuss without spoilers. We'll just say that an extremely tragic event occurs and the second half of the movie is spent dealing with the fallout. To the movie's credit, it is an incredibly grounded, well-observed and non-Hollywood depiction of loss and grief, making it all the more impactful on the audience. It's hard to imagine many dry eyes by the time the credits roll.

So then we're left with the question of what the movie was trying to accomplish. You could argue that the mid-movie development was unnecessary and needlessly cruel, and the movie's themes of bullying and homophobia could've been explored without it. It's hard to say what the movie would've been like without it, but I was extremely affected by what we got, and the movie's climax doesn't really work without the tragedy.

Dhont, himself a gay man, has also gotten heat by some who feel this is yet another tale of gay people not allowed to exist in movies without experiencing great pain or tragedy. It's hard to say if this is why Dhont doesn't ever explicitly say the boys are gay. I can only say for myself that I think there should be movies that show the horrifying effects of our culture's inability to properly regard intimacy and affection between men. It certainly isn't easy to watch at times, but the tragic elements are not unrealistic and are important to grapple with.

From a technical standpoint, the movie also excels. Eden Dambrine as Léo gives one of the best child performances I have seen in many years. He is essentially asked to completely carry the movie and does so with aplomb. The camera often lingers on his huge eyes and expressive face, and it's almost impossible not to root for him, even when he's being a jerk. Léa Drucker as Léo's mother is also exceptional, and I particularly liked the brief appearances of Igor van Dessel as Léo's older brother Charlie. Some of my favorite moments were of Charlie being kind and supportive to Léo throughout, showcasing another great example of male intimacy and closeness.

Its bleak subject matter may turn people away from giving it a shot, but it's a beautiful movie with a lot going for it and the questions it poses will be running through your mind for days afterward. It's definitely worth a look, and a contender for one of the best movies of 2023.