Stafford Film Theatre – Close

Lukas Dhont / Belguim, France, The Netherlands 2022 / 104 min / Cert 12 / Subtitles

Both a Cannes prizewinner and Oscar nominee for Best International Film, this exquisitely acted production evokes the fragile beauty of boyhood. Léo and Rémi are two 13-year old boys who are so close that ‘best friends’ hardly seems to describe their bond. On starting secondary school, their schoolmates’ prying questions about their friendship make Léo uncomfortable, leading him to distance himself from Rémi. Eden Dambrine plays Léo with wondrous sensitivity, while Gustav De Waele’s performance as Rémi is heartbreaking. Set among the flower fields of the Belgian countryside, Lukas Dhont’s profoundly empathetic look at adolescent intimacy reveals the trappings of masculinity