Close

After his superb and well-received film first feature film, GIRL, Lukas Dhont came to make use of Le Groupe Ouest’s expertise to conceive and work on the writing of his second film, “Close”, throughout 2020. The film won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022.

Lukas Dhont is one of a new generation of filmmakers who tackle crucial narratives, bringing them to the screen with humanity and conviction. A form of cinema bearing meaning for a society prepared to accept differences. In “Close”, we experience the fragility of adolescence, that age when how others see us is part of our construction.

Synopsis

The intense friendship between two thirteen-year old boys Leo and Remi suddenly gets disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Léo approaches Sophie, Rémi’s mother.

Lukas Dhont at Le Groupe Ouest | © Brigitte Bouillot

Intentions

“Close” is a film about boys, and therefore a film about men. A story about relationships, gaining and losing friendships. In the past I was often reluctant to become friends with boys because I knew I had to protect myself from being labelled. Being too close to another boy, being too intimate, would quickly confirm who I was, and I wasn’t ready to face that truth. Because of this, I missed out on many friendships. According to Niobe Way, an American psychologist, I am not alone, but boys learn to keep their distance, particularly from each other. In an age full of toxic male role models, I want to make a film about boys conversing and taking responsibility.