While the lock for this year’s Best International Feature Film appears to be the fantastically made All Quiet on the Western Front (it’s the only international film nominated in the Best Picture category),  2022 has a slew of movies that may have had a chance to win the category in recent years. Most notable on the list include Argentina’s Argentina, 1985, Ireland’s The Quiet Girl, and Belgium’s Close, director Lukas Dhont’s (Girl) on the loss of innocence.

It’s difficult to review this movie thoroughly without dishing out spoilers. The trailer does an excellent job of building intrigue while not giving too much away (other films need to take note of this approach). The plot centers around two best friends at the start of their first day in middle school. Leo (newcomer Eden Dambrine) and Remi (newcomer Gustav De Waele) do everything together. Whether riding their bikes to and from school, engaging in pretend play in which they are hiding in a building with enemy troops surrounding them, or sleeping over at each other’s house whenever possible, the two boys are inseparable. During sleepovers, the boys share the same bed. In public, they sometimes hold hands. They are comfortable gazing into each other’s eyes, blowing onto one another’s faces, and using each other’s bodies as headrests.

It is when they are asked by a group of peer girls at a school lunch one day if the two are together. Leo says no and is instantly defensive, whereas Remi, the more passive of the two, doesn’t offer much. The girls aren’t being mean, going so far as to say it’s no big deal if they are. However, they continue to prod the issue by listing and casually teasing some of the behaviors they engage in that only couples do before asking the two boys if they even realize it. While there may be some hints of homosexuality, same-sex attraction, or simple curiosity, Dhont leaves that up for interpretation. It doesn’t detract from the movie one way or the other. On the contrary, its general obscurity with this approach adds to the film’s success.

While their friendship is far more intense than most tweens, especially regarding physical touching, constant proximity to one another, and the joyfulness they exude together, neither think anything of it until their classmates point it out to them. Remi doesn’t make anything of it, but Leo gradually acts differently. Their innocuous friendship has underlying themes of being queer to public perception, which Leo wants to curb immediately. He joins a youth hockey team, drifts into other social groups during school leisure time, declines Remi’s invitations that he would almost always accept, and more. Each morning, Leo and Remi ride their bikes to school together. Even when Remi is late, Leo waits for him. One particular morning, shortly after Leo had gradually begun to distance himself (not outright shunning him but reassuring him that it shouldn’t be such a big deal if they don’t do as much together), Leo rides to school without stopping by Remi’s house first and waiting for him. Leo tells him that he decided to go to school earlier that morning, not wanting to hurt his feelings but at the same time wanting Remi to know that things are changing. That act serves as a decisive wedge between the two boys.

The relationship between Leo and Remi extends to their families, too. In particular, Leo views Remi’s mother, Sophie (Émilie Dequenne – Rosetta, Our Children), as his second mother, often engaging in conversation with her more than he does his mother, Léa (Nathalie Drucker – Two of Us, The Blue Room). Leo’s unsuspecting adoration for Remi (most notably when he is watching his friend practice his Oboe and the gleam of pride in his eyes when watching him perform at his recital) seems to be the same for Sophie, idealizing her and wanting to be good in her favor. Leo speaks volumes with his eyes and other nonverbal expressions.

This coming-of-age tale includes friendship, adolescence, peer pressure, societal norms, and communication breakdown. Close is highlighted by the performance of its young actors, particularly Dambrine, who gives as satisfactory a lead performance as anyone not named Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin, or Austin Butler (Elvis). His subtle, quiet, and nuanced performance shows a child who tries to harness unprocessed feelings while disengaging from those who try to offer support. It’s a recipe that has little chance of success. But, the young man is that good, carrying the film from the opening to the ending credits.

Close drifts into how we process grief and forces us to examine how we process loss and how we think others should process theirs. There is no right or wrong in how we process grief, though it often seems easy for us to point the finger at someone else and say, “You aren’t doing enough of this,” or “You aren’t feeling enough of that.” Often, we are on display as we process our emotions in public or even a private forum. Not only do we process our grief differently, but the timeframe in which we process our grief is also different. I once had a friend who said that whenever she got out of a relationship with someone, she would cry heavily for one day, but the day after that, she wouldn’t allow herself to be sad any longer. While that worked for her, it might take weeks or months to reach the same point she got in 24 hours. It didn’t invalidate her feelings or grieving process, but I couldn’t help but wonder if a given relationship didn’t matter to her if she could get over it so quickly. I admitted to myself that I was jealous of her ability to get through something that attached itself to so many raw emotions and feelings. While the loss in Close is much more severe than a traumatic breakup, in the mind of a 13-year-old such as Leo’s, there may be more of a comparison than we might otherwise realize.

Plot 8/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 7.5/10
Directing  7.5/10
Cinematography 7.5/10
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 8.5/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
85.5%

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