#émilie dequenne

[cinematicjourney]

Close (2022) | dir. Lukas Dhont

[screenshotingmonstercinema]

[thisfilmisnotyetrated]

THE CRITERION CHALLENGE 2023 — WEEK 2: MADE IN BELGIUM

ROSETTA (dir. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, 1999)

[rookie-critic]

Close (2022, dir. Lukas Dhont) - review by Rookie-Critic

Friendship is the bedrock of childhood. Really, it's the bedrock of adulthood, as well, although most of us don't put the same effort into it that we did when we were kids. Close analyzes a relationship between two young boys that almost transcends friendship and becomes brotherhood, and I don't really mean familial brotherhood so much as a platonic life partner that you literally cannot live without. It also analyzes how societal pressures on masculinity and the negative perception of showing any kind of physical affection towards a friend of the same sex as you, and how that can tear that bond apart from the inside and out and pull those two people in opposite directions. I found Close to be incredibly moving at times, and incredibly emotionally manipulative at others. It really walks a tightrope throughout the second half of the film and occasionally stumbles into territory that feels a tad more melodramatic than it does powerful.

The film's central theme and the performance given by first time actor Eden Dambrine, who plays Leo, one of the two best friends, are the film's biggest wins, with the latter being an absolute powerhouse. Dambrine never slips into the melodrama that the film around him seeks to portray, actually giving quite an understated performance, one of solemn despair, quiet guilt, and longing. I was blown away to find out that this is his first ever acting job. Literally, if you go to Dambrine's IMDb page you will only see one entry, and that's Close. I would toss his name into the ring with the likes of Frankie Corio and Woody Norman as one of the best child performances in film in the last decade. Also, to speak on the tightrope walk from earlier, while there are those moments where the film slips, the moments that are genuinely moving are powerful, and it's in the little things. I think the moment that broke the tear dam for me on this was something so innocuous that it really made me wonder why the film even bothered with all of its more grand, clearly-trying-to-tug-at-the-heartstrings bits at all.

A thing that the film does fantastically is show how best friends tend to be taken in by at least one of the two kids' families, and the relationship that develops between the parents and their child's friend as something almost as strong as the bond between the kids themselves. Towards the beginning of the film, the character played by Émilie Dequenne calls Leo, who is not her biological son, her "son-at-heart," and the warmed me to the bone. It's something that I personally don't see portrayed in film a whole lot, and I appreciate that Close took that on immensely. One last complaint I will throw out, and this is my nitpick for this film, is that it does have a tendency to drag. I really felt it towards the beginning and towards the end, where it felt like the film was stalling for time, showing the audience things we'd already seen, or hit beats it already hit. Maybe this was to drive the point home more, but really I didn't need any of that. Director Lukas Dhont was doing a great job at conveying his point from the start. It's not as egregious as something like Bardo, by any means, but I did take notice of it.

This one really struck a chord in me. I've never pushed a friend away the way Leo does in this, but I have struggled with showing non-romantic affection for my friends my entire life because of worries over how it might be perceived, and I'm so glad I've never let it get as bad as what happens between the two best friends in Close. This was a rough, but very rewarding watch, and well-deserving of its Oscar nomination. I look forward to seeing what Dhont and Dambrine do next.

Score: 9/10

Currently only in theaters.

[stuff-diary]

Close

Movies watched in 2023

Close (2022, Belgium/France/Netherlands)

Director: Lukas Dhont

Writers: Lukas Dhont & Angelo Tijssens

Mini-review:

What a beautiful, heartbreaking movie. It's such a sensitive, nuanced exploration of masculinity, friendship and grief. The story feels very realistic (some scenes have literally happened to me), and it is harrowing to see the painful ways these characters develop due to societal expectations and peer pressure. Tbh, I saw a lot of me in them. Also, I like that the movie never tries to define the characters' sexuality, cause that's not what it wants to talk about. What it wants to highlight is the way society makes boys terrified of being affective with each other, even though it should be completely normalized.

On top of that, the story is told with gorgeous cinematography and mindblowing performances from Eden Dambrine and Gustav de Waele. Although they are very young and neither of them had previous acting experience, their performances are flawless. Dambrine stands out more because he gets more screen time, and his eyes are incredibly expressive: you can always see in them his character's complex emotions and thoughts. But seriously, they are easily two of the best child actors I've ever seen. Émilie Dequenne and Léa Drucker also give beautiful performances as the boys' mothers. Anyway, Close is not an easy watch, but it does send a very important and powerful message.

P.S. The movie has some potentially triggering content which I'm not including here or in the tags because it would be a spoiler. Keep that in mind.

[moviemosaics]

Close

directed by Lukas Dhont, 2022

[laserpinksteam]

Film after film: Close (dir. Lukas Dhont, 2022)

Two teenagers are very close, then one of them gets socialized into feeling that there's something wrong with this, he withdraws, while the other one silently spirals into a suicide. This comes midway through the film, due to which its second half dwells on the internal reckoning that the protagonist goes through until the subdued cathartic ending. It's conventionally beautiful, well acted, and emotionally manipulative, which is not necessarily horrible but surely ambivalent.

[genevieveetguy]

Close, Lukas Dhont (2022)

[moviesiveseenandwanttoremember]

Lukas Dhont‘s “Close” November 1, 2022.

[wetgeliscasualinterval]

“Rosetta” (1999) by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

[movienized-com]

Année Zéro

Année Zéro (Serie 2023) #EmilieDequenne #ClaireKeim #MarcRuchmann #EricCaravaca #ElisaErka #MarcRiso Mehr auf:

Serie Jahr: 2023- Genre: Mystery / Krimi / Drama Hauptrollen: Émilie Dequenne, Claire Keim, Marc Ruchmann, Éric Caravaca, Elisa Erka, Marc Riso, Loup-Denis Elion, Foëd Amara, Paul Mauch… Serienbeschreibung: Am Abend des 31. Dezember 2023 wird Marc, der leitende Chirurg im Krankenhaus in der Provence, tot an seinem Arbeitsplatz aufgefunden. Als sie den Tatort verlassen, stecken Anna, seine…

[lesparaversdemillina]

Complètement Cramé réalisé par Gilles Legardinier

Plonge dans l'émotion d'une première adaptation cinématographique réussie par Gilles Legardinier, auteur et réalisateur. Un casting exceptionnel, des décors somptueux, et une histoire touchante qui fait rire et pleurer en silence.

[groovyfireperson]

[rookie-critic]

Rookie-Critic's Top 25 Films of 2022: Honorable Mentions - Close (dir. Lukas Dhont)

This is a film I feel like a lot of teenage boys and insecure men need to watch. The story of a friendship torn apart by societal pressures and assumptions in an irreparable way, Close analyzes what these pressures do to young boys and how it can turn something so innocently beautiful into something cruel and heartbreaking. Eden Dambrine, who plays the protagonist Leo in the film had never acted prior to being cast in Close, and he gives one of the most convincing and powerful performances of last year. Non-romantic, platonic affection towards friends of the same sex as you should not be something that is ridiculed or shunned, and if you need a case as to why, which you shouldn't, watch Close.

Currently available to rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.).

Read my full review of Close here.

[porquevi]

"Close" (idem) - mubi.

Esse passou nos cinemas mas eu perdi. Estreou no Mubi e ficou na lista. Uma amiga próxima falou bem e ainda disse que seu filho passou por situações parecidas. Sem dar spoilers ela não comentou mais. Outras pessoas depois falaram bem do filme.

depois de ver: filme delicado, bonito e triste. bem dirigido, consegue passar o que está acontecendo em poucos planos. atuações perfeitas do elenco jovem.

[ourbalancedlife]