The Cannes award-winning film ‘Close’ — about two inseparable teen boys — will resonate with anyone who remembers the childhood friendships that felt like they would last forever, our critic writes.
The boys have an intensely physical bond, whether taking naps together in the grass or sharing a bed during their many sleepovers. Again and again, Dhont presents us with casual images of boyhood tenderness. He leaves open the question of whether Léo and Rémi are going through an especially close phase of their friendship, or if they might be experiencing some early stirrings of sexual desire. Either way, Dhont seems to be saying, they deserve the time and space to figure it out.
Happily, they don't get any judgment from their families, who have always been supportive of their friendship — especially Rémi's mother, played by the luminous Émilie Dequenne. But when they return to school after a long, glorious summer together, Léo and Rémi are teased and even bullied about their friendship.
After seeing Léo rest his head on Rémi's shoulder, a girl asks them if they're"together," like a couple. A boy attacks Léo with a homophobic slur. While Rémi doesn't seem too affected by any of this, Léo suddenly turns self-conscious and embarrassed. And gradually he begins to pull away from Rémi, avoiding his hugs, ignoring him and hanging out with other kids.
Léo is played by Eden Dambrine, and Rémi by Gustav De Waele. They give two of the best, least affected child performances I've seen in some time, especially from Dambrine as Léo, who's the movie's main character. He registers every beat of Léo's emotional progression — the initial shame, followed by guilt and regret — almost entirely through facial expressions and body language, rather than dialogue.
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