Close

Close is a 2022 coming-of-age drama film directed by Lukas Dhont, and written by Dhont and Angelo Tijssens, reteaming after their first feature film Girl (2018). The film stars Eden Dambrine, Gustav de Waele, Émilie Dequenne and Léa Drucker. It follows two teenage boys whose close friendship is thrown into disarray when their schoolmates notice their intimacy, causing a rift between them. Close premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2022 to critical acclaim and won the Grand Prix; specialized critics praised the performances. The film is a co-production between Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It was released by Diaphana Distribution in France on 1 November 2022 and by Lumière in Benelux on 2 November. On 24 January 2023, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. It also won the André Cavens Award for Best Film by the Belgian Film Critics Association. At the 12th Magritte Awards, Close received ten nominations, including Best Screenplay for Dhont, becoming the most nominated film of the ceremony and ultimately winning seven awards. Plot In rural Belgium, two 13-year-old boys, Léo and Rémi, are best friends who exhibit a deeply intimate affection for one another. They have a habit of sleeping in the same bed in Rémi's bedroom. Rémi's parents, Sophie and Peter, accept this without judgment and love Léo like a second child. Léo's family helps run agricultural work at a flower farm, where he and Rémi like to play together.