Lukas Dhont
Close

Released just these past weeks without much fanfare, Lukas Dhont's latest film titled "Close" (well-received at the last Cannes festival) has the gift of striking the viewer's sensibility and getting under the skin, refusing to let go of anyone who loves cinema and has a sensitive soul. At least, this was my experience leaving the cinema, with the conviction of having witnessed a film that tackles universal themes with truly rare delicacy and intensity.

In brief, the plot revolves around the events shared by two thirteen-year-olds named Leo and Remi. Their relationship is based on a deep friendship, leading them to share various interests in their free time without objections from their respective parents. It's a pure and selfless friendship, just as it should be at that age (one that we boys might have experienced back then, recognizing its great intrinsic value).

But something changes between them precisely when they start attending high school. The context changes, and all it takes is one malicious and baseless comment from some female classmates (such as "is yours just a friendship or is it something more?") to trigger a destructive dynamic in their relationship. So much so that Leo, even while dismissing the foolish insinuations, begins to conform to the new general context in such a way that Remi (possessing a heightened artistic sensitivity) will feel hurt by the cooling of their relationship. And the situation will take an unpleasant and unexpected turn...

I do not intend to go further into recounting the subsequent events, also because this is a film too beautiful to be told. I highly recommend watching it for several important reasons. And it's not just because of the spontaneous and profound acting of the two boys at the center of the story (Eden Dambrine and Gustave De Waele, take note of these names), it's especially due to Dhont's directorial touch, which approaches significant themes. Although the challenge of growing up, transitioning from the carefree pre-adolescence to the transitional phase of adolescence projected towards maturity, is a theme so dear to cinema from James Dean's era onwards (including a major director like Truffaut), in "Close" the director manages to fully convey the struggles of the young protagonists. We witness, therefore, the loss of a friendship coinciding with the loss of innocence, and it is indeed understandable how maturing involves, for each of us, losing someone and something. As if to say that in the reflection of life there is always a memento mori, an inseparable shadow that accompanies us to the end, leaving us with a bit of bitterness.

Therefore, in my opinion, this is not a film about the potential homosexual undertones that might be underlining a friendship. Rather, it is a work that encourages us not to forget that during the most vulnerable years of youth, we can find true friends. Unfortunately, later on, life with its inevitable good reasons will distance us from one another, making us feel a tinge of nostalgia for our golden youth.