Year: 2022 Rated PG-13 Genre: Coming-of-Age, Friendship, Grief, Teen Language: Dutch, French Runtime: 1:44:00 Director: Lukas Dhont ☆ Main Cast: Eden Dambrine ★, Gustav De Waele ☆, Émilie Dequenne ★, Léa Drucker, Igor van Dessel ★
Notable Mentions: Eden Dambrine as Léo, Gustav De Waele as Rémi, the Casting Director, Lukas Dhont's Direction
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The YouTube film critics I follow said, while Teyana Taylor only appeared in the first twenty or so minutes of One Battle After Another, she made a lasting impact. Her presence was felt throughout the remainder of the film, they said. I didn't feel her presence after she was gone. After she was gone, she was gone. I did not miss her. The film went on. That was not the case with Close. The emptiness that was left behind transcended the TV screen, pierced my chest, and hollowed my heart.
I was in pain. I wanted to cry. I waited for the dam to break for Léo, for Léo to give the signal, the go ahead. The second half of the film was quiet. Lukas Dhont played the long game. I was in for it. Léo, tell us how you really feel. An emotional monologue, outburst would have been jarring to the melancholy quietness, but could have been effective at reeling in the audience. My problem with poetry is that it's up for interpretation. I didn't want Léo's feelings to be up for interpretation. There was one right way to feel in that situation that's acceptable to me. Eden Dambrine is a phenomenal talent, a master of subtlety. This one time, clues were not enough. I needed to hear Léo's sadness in words. This is another one of those films that's almost a masterpiece. I was disappointed that Lukas Dhont and I were not on the same wavelength on the execution of the second half of the film.
Is Close a queer film? No. If you categorize Close as a queer film, you're part of the problem the film is shedding light on. The film is about toxic masculinity. Male intimacy is judged. The boys are just close friends. That's what the film showed.
