Close Movie Review

This is a glorious, mesmerizing, yet heartbreaking film. The story is about two best friends, as close as close can be. Their inseparability is the true subject of this cinematic opus. We begin with the boys outside having fun playing with one another. They hide in a bunker, bust out and run through a beautiful field of flowers, imagining they’re in battle, being chased by their enemies. What’s really chasing them is the unavoidable loss of their youth. They just don’t know it yet.

“Close” is one of the most beautiful, moving films I’ve ever seen. Not just this year, but any year. It’s about a loving relationship and how the demise of it changes people forever.

These two thirteen-year-old boys, who have known one another their entire lives are very fond of one another. They’re more like brothers. They’ve grown up together. They eat together, ride their bikes side by side from one place to the next and discuss their dreams for the future. Trusted by their parents, they are free to sleep at one another’s homes where they often stay up late to help solve any issue that may have arisen in the other’s life. Their bond is strong and will be until the end of time.

Nothing could come between them.

Touched upon by Leo and Remi when questioned, girls can hug, kiss, sleepover and snuggle so why can’t boys? Now, at a new school with kids they don’t know, students see Leo and Remi as “together” not just close friends expressing their friendship the way they always have. Some are jealous of their association and are prejudiced against such friendships. So, inevitably, they’re called names and harassed for being so attached, something they never considered as being an issue with anyone. The boys Leo (Eden Dambrine) and Remi (Gustav De Waele) are both so pretty, and at the age of thirteen, you wonder if one of them is attracted to the other sexually. This is never broached, leaving that question for each audience member to answer themselves. It’s this question though that defines the film.

A crucial moment in the storyline is when Leo, through wrestling, lets Remi know that he’s growing up beyond this child’s play. Kids messing about with one another turns into a bit of a cage match, and tender Remi ends up on the raw end of the deal.

Leo doesn’t like being made fun of at school, so he has been pulling away. Perhaps it’s time to let other people into his life. Remi, the weaker of the two, sees this action as a slap in the face. Leo becomes more distant, but Remi wants things as they always have been. That’s not how life works. Leo should be able to have more friends without Remi being upset about it. It isn’t fair that Remi tries to be a part of every aspect of Leo’s life. Remi isn’t mature enough yet to let go of his companion and doesn’t understand why it’s being asked of him.

Leo knows that the recent exchange hurt his pal, so when Remi doesn’t show up for a class trip, it immediately alerts Leo who knows it’s not at all like his mate to miss school, let alone a fun retreat. He worries, but he doesn’t have to worry very long.

These actors will blow you away. Cinematographer Frank van den Eeden keeps the camera tight on Leo who brings you in closer with his eyes and his expressions. The sound is exceptional, as well. I can’t tell you much more without giving away the rest of the story, but I will say that Eden Dambrine is glorious. The guilt he carries as his world changes is felt through every scene. How it’s captured is exquisite and bewitching, a must-see by you all.

In Phoenix, see it at…

Camelview at Fashion Sq. – Harkins Theatres