The intense friendship between two thirteen-year-old boys, Leo and Remi, suddenly gets disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Léo approaches Sophie, Rémi’s mother. “Close” is a film about friendship and responsibility.
Best friends, Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele), are practically joined at the hip. But once they are teased at their new school, Léo starts distancing himself from Rémi, and their friendship is torn apart.
I will not lie, “Close” is a tough watch. It is a sad film, but I also found it to be a very authentic portrayal of friendship or, instead, a dissolution of a friendship. People’s lives take different turns; unfortunately, a friend can sometimes be left behind.
While it is heartbreaking to see Léo and Rémi drift apart, how it was handled felt true to life. Léo wants to prove himself to be more of a “man.” He joins ice hockey and plays soccer during recess to seem more athletic. In his new school, he wants to hang out with the “cool kids.” Rémi, on the other hand, does not want to join that crowd. He plays oboe and is generally artsier. He is okay with having Léo as his main friend and does not give much attention to the bullying remarks.
But halfway through the film, tragedy strikes. The film changes from this point on and is somehow even more somber. I remember the dread that hit me once I realized what had happened. It did not surprise me, but I can see how some people may not want to continue with the film after this point.
We see Léo struggle and cope though he tries his best not to show it. Everyone has different ways of grieving. Léo, for the most part, avoids confronting what happened and tries to return to everyday life. As you can guess, it does not work out in the long run for him, and he eventually confronts what happened head-on. Another tragedy is the loss of Léo’s childhood innocence, which we see so vibrantly in the film’s first half.
Director Lukas Dhont is content to sit with his characters doing everyday things: riding to school, going to sleep, having dinner, etc. This helped make Léo and Rémi feel like real people, not just characters on a screen. Their friendship is so pure. The film’s plot feels so unfair, but it also feels incredibly true to life.
Ultimately, I do not think watching “Close” with dry eyes is possible, and that may turn off some people. But despite the many tragedies in the film, director (Lukas) Dhont is empathetic and handles the tough material delicately. His film is authentic, yet it will leave your heart broken in two.
In Theaters Friday, February 17th
