Close (2022)
Leo(Eden Dambrine) and Rèmi(Gustav De Waele). Close( 2022) Lukas Dhont
Close feels like a deeply personal story about friendship. It follows Leo and Remi two 13 year old boys whose bond is so strong it feels unbreakable. It begins in summer where the boys spend every moment together, running through fields, cycling, sleeping over, simply enjoying each other’s company. These early scenes are so beautiful and pure, showing the comfort of childhood friendship and connection with the first act capturing that feeling with stunning detail and warmth.
As the story moves forward the innocence of their friendship meets the pressure of adolescence. When the boys begin a new school year, their closeness draws attention from classmates, with teasing and whispering planting seeds of doubt in Leos mind who becomes aware of how they’re perceived by their classmates. Leo begins to step away wanting to protect himself from judgment.
Visually, Close is breathtaking, cinematographer Frank van den Eeden often shows the boys surrounded by vast landscapes, suggesting freedom and endless possibilities. But as their friendship begins to fall apart the camera moves closer and the spaces feel tighter as if their world is literally closing in, it’s a powerful visual metaphor. The supporting cast feels genuine, especially Remi’s mother Sophie, this adds emotional depth, her warmth makes the eventual heartbreak feel even more painful.
The films second half takes a noticable turn after a major emotional event changes everything, it changes from being about friendship to being about grief, guilt and distance. It’s still very effective and moving but not as subtle as the first half. The quiet magic of the beginning gives way to something more heavier and conventional.
Once the friendship falls apart the story becomes more traditional and dare I say, predictable. It focuses on grief and regret in ways that are emotional but less original. Remi’s character feels underdeveloped, the film mostly follows Leo, which means we don’t get as much insight into what Remi is going through, his absence is part of the films emotional design, it leaves the story feeling a bit one sided.
Close is one of those films that linger in your mind long after it ends. It captures the pain of losing a connection you may not have fully understood while you had it. Watching Leo struggle to make sense of his feelings is both devastating and honest. I’ve rated this four stars which I think is right because it does so many things beautifully, the performances, the atmosphere, the emotional honesty, even if it does lose some balance in the second half. The imperfections don’t weaken it, they make it feel human. Close is a film about the space between friendship and grief. Its a story of how the world teaches us to guard our hearts, and how that lesson can break them.