CLOSE
****
Director: Lukas Dhont
Screenplay: Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens
Principal cast:
Eden Dambrine
Gustav De Waele
Émilie Dequenne
Léa Drucker
Igor van Dessel
Kevin Janssens
Country: Belgium/Netherlands/France
Classification: M
Runtime: 104 mins.
Australian release date: 16 February 2023.
Lukas Dhont’s second feature, Close, won the Grand Prix at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and the $60,000 Sydney Film Prize at the Sydney Film Festival in the same year, and is Belgium’s official entry for Best International Film in the forthcoming Oscars, so it comes with a big reputation. Like the recent The Banshees of Inisherin, the story tells of a close friendship and the tragic events that ensue when that friendship is suddenly and inexplicably withdrawn, only in this film the two pals are 13-year-old boys, not adults. In Close, Dhont and his co-writer Angelo Tijssens show us how the innocent, platonic love between these best mates is destroyed by society’s prejudices. Their outstanding script was inspired by the work of US psychologist Niobe Way's major study of intimacy among teenage boys, Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection.
Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele) are constant companions, spending both their waking and sleeping hours together. Léo’s family are hard-working flower farmers on a property in the Belgium countryside but, during the summer holidays, Léo spends more time at Rémi’s place and the boys are close to Rémi’s mother, Sophie (Émilie Dequenne). Léo regularly sleeps over and is in awe of Rémi’s musical ability, often listening to him rehearsing and fantasising that he will be his manager when Rémi is a professional musician and they will tour the world together. So intimate are they that, when the holidays are over and they start high school, their relationship triggers conjecture among the other school students, some of whom suggest they must be gay. Rémi doesn’t pay much attention to this gossip but it makes an impression on Léo, who begins to distance himself from his best mate.
The two boys, Dambrine and De Waele, both non-professionals, are magnificent, particularly the former. He is simply breathtaking and one could draw a visual parallel with Björn Andresen’s appearance as Tadzio in Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice (1971). Dhont saw him on a train soon after writing the movie’s first scene and says, “He was chatting with his mates and I could tell he had something incredible, an acutely expressive quality. I spoke to him and invited him to audition for the part. We met a lot of kids during the course of the casting process. We selected 40 and had them audition in pairs. There were some amazing combinations, but when we saw Eden and Gustave play opposite each other, we knew they had a special connection.” Their portrayal of Léo and Rémi’s friendship is enchanting and projected with a thoroughly engaging air of innocence.
Close is a stunning cinematic experience and the Belgian countryside setting is gloriously captured by Frank van den Eeden’s lush cinematography. One scene in particular takes one’s breath away; the camera’s tight focussing on Léo and Rémi as they race happily through a flower field, the vibrant exposition of colour in motion and the smiles on the boys’ faces, beautifully convey the carefree joy of childhood. The tragedy lies in the fact that others, incapable of experiencing or understanding such a close relationship, will inflict their insecurities on such an untroubled, loving friendship. It is heart-breaking to watch this beautiful companionship dissolve and the heartbreaking actions that follow.
It will be interesting to see how Close fares at the Oscars next month. If enough of the Academy’s members get to see Dhont’s touching film, it’s got to be a contender for taking out the award. Like the Irish entry, The Quiet Girl, it’s a powerful, subtle drama that packs a real punch.
Screenplay: Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens
Principal cast:
Eden Dambrine
Gustav De Waele
Émilie Dequenne
Léa Drucker
Igor van Dessel
Kevin Janssens
Country: Belgium/Netherlands/France
Classification: M
Runtime: 104 mins.
Australian release date: 16 February 2023.
Lukas Dhont’s second feature, Close, won the Grand Prix at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and the $60,000 Sydney Film Prize at the Sydney Film Festival in the same year, and is Belgium’s official entry for Best International Film in the forthcoming Oscars, so it comes with a big reputation. Like the recent The Banshees of Inisherin, the story tells of a close friendship and the tragic events that ensue when that friendship is suddenly and inexplicably withdrawn, only in this film the two pals are 13-year-old boys, not adults. In Close, Dhont and his co-writer Angelo Tijssens show us how the innocent, platonic love between these best mates is destroyed by society’s prejudices. Their outstanding script was inspired by the work of US psychologist Niobe Way's major study of intimacy among teenage boys, Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection.
Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele) are constant companions, spending both their waking and sleeping hours together. Léo’s family are hard-working flower farmers on a property in the Belgium countryside but, during the summer holidays, Léo spends more time at Rémi’s place and the boys are close to Rémi’s mother, Sophie (Émilie Dequenne). Léo regularly sleeps over and is in awe of Rémi’s musical ability, often listening to him rehearsing and fantasising that he will be his manager when Rémi is a professional musician and they will tour the world together. So intimate are they that, when the holidays are over and they start high school, their relationship triggers conjecture among the other school students, some of whom suggest they must be gay. Rémi doesn’t pay much attention to this gossip but it makes an impression on Léo, who begins to distance himself from his best mate.
The two boys, Dambrine and De Waele, both non-professionals, are magnificent, particularly the former. He is simply breathtaking and one could draw a visual parallel with Björn Andresen’s appearance as Tadzio in Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice (1971). Dhont saw him on a train soon after writing the movie’s first scene and says, “He was chatting with his mates and I could tell he had something incredible, an acutely expressive quality. I spoke to him and invited him to audition for the part. We met a lot of kids during the course of the casting process. We selected 40 and had them audition in pairs. There were some amazing combinations, but when we saw Eden and Gustave play opposite each other, we knew they had a special connection.” Their portrayal of Léo and Rémi’s friendship is enchanting and projected with a thoroughly engaging air of innocence.
Close is a stunning cinematic experience and the Belgian countryside setting is gloriously captured by Frank van den Eeden’s lush cinematography. One scene in particular takes one’s breath away; the camera’s tight focussing on Léo and Rémi as they race happily through a flower field, the vibrant exposition of colour in motion and the smiles on the boys’ faces, beautifully convey the carefree joy of childhood. The tragedy lies in the fact that others, incapable of experiencing or understanding such a close relationship, will inflict their insecurities on such an untroubled, loving friendship. It is heart-breaking to watch this beautiful companionship dissolve and the heartbreaking actions that follow.
It will be interesting to see how Close fares at the Oscars next month. If enough of the Academy’s members get to see Dhont’s touching film, it’s got to be a contender for taking out the award. Like the Irish entry, The Quiet Girl, it’s a powerful, subtle drama that packs a real punch.