---
title: "Close"
year: 2022
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/close"
fi1m_id: "close"
imdb_id: "tt9660502"
tmdb_id: 901563
wikidata_id: "Q107920304"
fi1m_score: 75
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 18
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:09.437188+00:00"
region: "FI"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Close (2022)

Directed by Lukas Dhont · 1h 44m · KAVI K-12 · Drama

## Identity

Close

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/close
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** close
- **IMDb ID:** tt9660502
- **TMDB ID:** 901563
- **Wikidata ID:** Q107920304
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9660502/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/901563, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107920304

**Fi1m score: 75** · Critics 80 from 18 reviews

*In a sentence:* The flowers are grown, cut and arranged for the table, and so, a little too visibly, is the grief

> For an hour, Dhont’s film is as exact a picture of a boy learning to be ashamed as we have seen, and Eden Dambrine, acting for the first time, carries it on his face. Then the second half arrives, and every petal falls on cue.

## Synopsis

Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele) are thirteen and have not spent a day apart. They run through the flower fields Léo’s family farms, invent battles in the greenhouses, and sleep in one bed at Rémi’s house while Rémi’s mother Sophie (Émilie Dequenne) looks on. Then the new school year starts, and a girl at the lunch table asks whether the two of them are a couple. Léo laughs it off. He also begins, in small ways, to step back: a seat further along the bench, a new interest in ice hockey. Lukas Dhont’s second film, written with Angelo Tijssens, follows what that stepping back costs, in a Belgian town over the course of one growing season.

## Review

Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele) are thirteen and have never been apart. They run through the flower fields Léo’s family farms, sleep in one bed at Rémi’s house, and make up stories about armies hiding in the beds of dahlias. Then school starts, and a girl at the lunch table asks whether they are together. Léo laughs. Lukas Dhont’s second feature, written with Angelo Tijssens, is about what he does after laughing, and for its first hour it is as exact a picture of a boy learning to be ashamed as we have seen. Then something has to happen, and what happens is a little too well made.

We recommend it, chiefly for that first hour and for two performances. Dambrine had not acted before this, and it does not show, or rather it shows in the right way: nothing he does is pitched at us. Watch him in the playground after the question. He does not stop being Rémi’s friend. He stands a step further away, and Frank van den Eeden’s camera is close enough that we can see him decide to. The scene that got at us is smaller still. The two boys are in Rémi’s bed, as they always are, and Léo gets up without a word and lies down on the mattress on the floor. We felt something very like grief, and all that had happened was a boy moving four feet.

Van den Eeden shoots in warm daylight, mostly close, often at the boys’ eye level, so the adults tend to arrive as torsos and hands. The flower fields are photographed in flat oranges and pinks rather than as postcards, which is why they work. Manu Verschueren dresses the boys in the same bright colours as the crops, and when Léo takes up ice hockey and pulls a caged helmet over his face the change reads without anyone saying it. Alain Dessauvage cuts farm work, planting, picking, the tractor, in among the school scenes so the season passes in the flowers. Valentin Hadjadj’s score is strings, and for a long time it stays out of the way.

At around the halfway mark the film turns on an event we will not describe. What we can say is that from then on it is largely about Léo and Rémi’s mother, Sophie, and that Émilie Dequenne is the best thing in the second half. She plays a woman being kind to a boy because there is nobody else left to be kind to, and she does it with almost no dialogue. Léa Drucker, as Léo’s mother Nathalie, and Igor van Dessel, as his older brother Charlie, are given less and are good with it. Kevin Janssens, as the father Peter, is mostly a pair of shoulders in a doorway, which we think is deliberate.

The second half is also where the design shows. Every image answers an earlier image. The flowers are cut when the story needs them cut. The score that had been so patient comes in to make sure we have understood, and the scenes at the rink and in the kitchen start to feel like stations on a route rather than things that happened to people. We wept, and within the same ten minutes we were irritated at how precisely we had been steered towards weeping, which is a strange thing to report about a film we admire. Most critics have been warmer than us. The reviews so far treat the second half as the proof of the film. We think it is the weak half, and that the first half did not need proving.

Dhont’s first film, *Girl* (2018), drew complaints for how it handled its subject, and several critics have gone into this one wary. It is a more careful film, and a more honest one about how boys police each other: nobody here uses a slur, and nobody needs to. Among films about the end of childhood, the first hour stands with the best of them. The second is a well-made film about loss of a kind we have sat through before.

It is 104 minutes and a 12A. Take a thirteen-year-old if you have one. Do not expect them to want to talk about it in the car.

*Fi1m score 75, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics take Close warmly, and the praise clusters in one place: the two young leads, above all newcomer Eden Dambrine, whose largely wordless performance several reviews call the reason the film works. Dhont’s direction is credited with restraint and a care for small shifts of feeling, and the first half, in which the boys’ friendship is shown without labels or fuss, attracts almost no complaint.

The reservations gather around what happens next. Variety calls the second-half turn manipulative and finds it breaks the spell; IndieWire thinks Dhont still chooses exploitation over depth; The Skinny, the lone outright dissenter, finds the handling of grief hollow. Sight and Sound is gentler but finds the whole thing too neat, the friendship’s collapse decided in advance rather than lived. The spread is narrow at the top and thin at the bottom: fifteen of eighteen are positive, the doubters are few, but they are all doubting the same thing.

## Straight answers

**Is Close worth watching?**

*Close* is worth watching, chiefly for its first hour and for Eden Dambrine, acting for the first time, and we scored it 75. Dhont's picture of a thirteen-year-old learning to be ashamed of his friendship is as exact as we have seen. The second half is well made but steers you towards tears a little too visibly, and most critics have been warmer about it than we are.

**How long is Close, and what is it rated?**

*Close* runs 1h 44m and is rated K-12 by the KAVI in Finland. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Close in Finland?**

*Close* is not on any streaming or rental service in Finland at the moment. It is available in 23 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Close, and is it suitable for children?**

*Close* is a 12A with almost no violence or frightening material; what it contains is grief. Nobody uses a slur and nobody hits anyone, but the film turns halfway on an event we will not describe, and the rest is a boy and a grieving mother living with it. Take a thirteen-year-old; younger children will find it slow and, later, very sad.

**How does Close compare to Ratcatcher?**

*Close* and [*Ratcatcher*](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher) are both about a boy who cannot say what he has done or seen, but Ramsay's film is the rougher and more unsentimental of the two. Dhont works in warm daylight and flower fields, and his second half is arranged so that every image answers an earlier one. Choose *Ratcatcher* if you want squalor and patience rewarded, *Close* for its first hour and its two lead performances.

**What should I watch after Close?**

After *Close*, try [*Ratcatcher*](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher) (1999, Fi1m 88): Glasgow, a canal, a boy who cannot say what he has seen; Ramsay’s first film. Then [*Moonlight*](https://film.one/film/moonlight) (2016, Fi1m 89): Three ages of one boy, and a beach scene that does what Dhont’s bedroom does; and [*Aftersun*](https://film.one/film/aftersun) (2022, Fi1m 85): A holiday remembered by the child who did not understand it at the time.

### Reviews we read (24)

- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (5/5): Dhont delivers a miraculously subtle and emotionally powerful Belgian drama about the tender, intense friendship between two 13-year-old boys and its heartbreaking severance as they enter adolescence. The performances of the young leads are singled out for praise, as is the film’s authentic emotional depth. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/close-review-plausible-contender-yet-2022-palme-dor/)
- **The AV Club**, Manuel Betancourt (A-): The review calls the film a gut punch and monumental achievement, centering on the fragile friendship between two boys that collapses under societal shame and leads to profound grief. It singles out newcomer Eden Dambrine's towering, wordless performance for conveying complex emotions of love, guilt, and loss. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/close-movie-review-lukas-dhont-1850003806)
- **Screen Daily** (85/100, inferred): The critic describes it as an intimate, quietly devastating study of childhood friendship and grief, with knockout performances (especially from newcomer Eden Dambrine) and direction of uncommon sensitivity that packs a considerable emotional wallop. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/close-cannes-review/5171228.article)
- **Slant Magazine**, Diego Semerene (85/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a devastating depiction of the queerness of childhood, where two boys' intense physical and emotional bond is punished by social forces, leading to tragedy and mourning. It praises Dhont's commitment to sincere pathos and the way the film immerses viewers in overwhelming emotion and the limits of freedom. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/close-review-lukas-dhont/)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the clear-eyed tenderness in Dhont's portrayal of playground love, grief, and childhood friendship, despite prior reservations about the director. Highlights the authentic performances and emotional honesty in depicting loss and guilt. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/close-first-look-review)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The critic hails it as a poignant hymn to friendship and lost innocence that belongs in the pantheon of great films about leaving childhood behind. Singles out the young actors' believable portrayals of inexpressible emotions and the film's quiet emotional power. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/close-2022)
- **Total Film** (80/100, inferred): The short Cannes review calls it the closest thing to a breakout arthouse hit, highlighting its emotional wallop from the story of two boys' friendship strained by peer judgement. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/close-review-cannes-2022/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (75/100, inferred): The film tracks the intense childhood friendship of two boys that unravels amid external pressures and a central tragedy. Dhont handles the delicate emotional shifts with care in this Oscar-nominated drama. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/movies/close-review-lukas-dhont.html)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B-): The review finds the film less problematic than Dhont's prior work but criticizes it for still opting for exploitation over depth in its handling of the boys' bond and its tragic turn. It notes the sensitive approach to adolescent friendship but faults the narrative choices. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/close-review-lukas-dhont-1234728513/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (65/100, inferred): Dhont’s precision-tooled heartbreaker depicts an intimate boyhood bond that faces scrutiny and loss. The film earns tears through strong performances but struggles with a disconnect between its visual polish and emotional depths. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-01-26/close-review-a24-oscars-nominations-best-international-feature)
- **Sight and Sound** (60/100, inferred): The critic finds the film touching due to the central performances but criticizes it for being overly neat and schematic in narrative, imagery, and concepts of masculinity. The rapid disintegration of the friendship feels predetermined rather than organic. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/close-this-portrait-messy-friendship-too-neat-its-own-good)
- **Empire**, Ella Kemp: The critic praises the film's sensitive portrayal of the pain and vulnerability of coming of age through the intense friendship of two 13-year-old boys disrupted by homophobia and tragedy. She highlights the young performers' heartbreaking and revelatory performances and the beauty Dhont finds amid the harrowing story. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/close/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan: The critic finds the film touching, topical and devastating as a portrait of teen fear and self-loathing, with authentic child performances and strong family scenes. She notes it is more repetitive and overblown in the third act but still recommends it for its emotional impact. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/close-movie-review-lukas-dhont-b1063907.html)
- **The Guardian**: Dhont’s second feature is a low-key, emotionally resonant coming-of-age drama about two inseparable boys whose intense friendship is disrupted by schoolyard scrutiny and adolescent pressures. The critic praises the natural performances of the young leads and supporting cast, along with the film’s understated direction and evocative score that capture the pain of loss and identity. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/05/close-review-lukas-dhont-achingly-poignant-tale-of-the-end-of-a-childhood-friendship)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Leslie Felperin: The review praises Dhont's layered, exquisitely shot film about two 13-year-old boys whose intense friendship fractures under social pressures, leading to betrayal, shame, and grief. It highlights the stunning lead performance by Eden Dambrine and the film's emotional richness and healing arc. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/close-review-cannes-2022-1235154654/)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): This is a beautiful, heart-wrenching Belgian melodrama about the abrupt end of boyhood innocence and the tragedy of shifting friendships amid emerging homophobia and social pressures. The two child actors deliver extraordinary performances that anchor the authentic study of loss. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/close-film-review-3kkfphv5v)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge: The first half offers a subtle, sensitive portrait of two inseparable 13-year-old boys whose bond feels pure and effortless. A manipulative tragic twist in the second half shatters the spell and feels exasperating. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/close-review-1235277094/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (5/5): The critic calls the film devastating and full of love, comparing it favorably to Amour, and deems it a must-see. They single out the lead performance by newcomer Eden Dambrine for particular praise. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/close-review/)
- **/Film**, Ryan Leston (9/10): The critic calls it a devastating look at the loss of childhood friendship and a gut-wrenching study of loss that feels painfully real. They single out the tender, realistic portrayal of the boys’ bond and the standout performances. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/879654/close-review-a-devastating-look-at-the-loss-of-childhood-friendship-cannes/)
- **The Playlist**, Gregory Ellwood (A-): The critic describes the film as an exquisite tale of childhood heartbreak that pulls off something miraculous in its sophomore effort. They single out the performances of the young leads and the director’s skill in delivering emotional impact without cliché. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/close-is-a-exquisite-tale-of-childhood-heartbreak-cannes-review-20220526/)
- **Deadline**, Damon Wise (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of the strongest Competition entries with major awards potential, praising its visual growth and emotional depth in depicting loss of innocence through a close boyhood friendship disrupted by school and tragedy. [Read](https://deadline.com/2022/05/close-film-review-cannes-lukas-dhont-1235033962/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film chiefly about the importance of love and understanding, celebrating childhood imagination and compassion amid tragedy. They single out the intimate, raw camerawork and the way gestures and embraces convey emotion. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/close-2022-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The review lauds the film's patient direction and focus on an intense, label-defying boyhood friendship that unravels under social pressures, highlighting the young lead's strong interior performance and the story's coming-of-age resonance. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/close-review-cannes/)
- **The Skinny**, Carmen Paddock (★★): The critic finds the central performances from the young leads strong and notes the film's initial tender exploration of boyhood friendship, but ultimately deems the handling of grief, mental health, and communication issues manipulative and hollow. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/close)

## Details

- **Director:** Lukas Dhont
- **Director:** Lukas Dhont
- **Writer:** Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens
- **Cinematography:** Frank van den Eeden
- **Editor:** Alain Dessauvage
- **Music:** Valentin Hadjadj
- **Production design:** Eve Martin
- **Costume design:** Manu Verschueren
- **Producer:** Dirk Impens, Michiel Dhont, Michel Saint-Jean
- **Cast:** Eden Dambrine as Léo; Gustav De Waele as Rémi; Émilie Dequenne as Sophie; Léa Drucker as Nathalie; Igor van Dessel as Charlie; Kevin Janssens as Peter; Marc Weiss as Yves; Léon Bataille as Baptiste
- **Runtime:** 1h 44m
- **Certificate (KAVI):** K-12
- **Release (Finland):** 3 March 2023
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Nominee, 2022)
- **Box office:** $3 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm6guCngagM

## Where to watch in Finland

Not streaming, renting or buying in Finland at the last check.

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, ES, FR, GB, IE, IN, JP, MX, MY, NL, PA, TR, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2023: Best International Feature Film (nominated)
- Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film 2023: Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film (won)
- César Award for Best Foreign Film 2023: César Award for Best Foreign Film (nominated)
- Golden Globes 2023: Best Non-English Language Film (nominated)
- International Submission to the Academy Awards 2023: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)
- LUX European Audience Film Award 2023: LUX European Audience Film Award (nominated)
- Magritte Award for Best Flemish Film 2023: Magritte Award for Best Flemish Film (won)
- Magritte Award for Best Screenplay 2023: Magritte Award for Best Screenplay (won)
- Cannes Film Festival 2022: Palme d'Or (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Actor 2022: European Film Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Director 2022: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2022: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2022: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter (nominated)
- European University Film Award 2022: European University Film Award (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Tomboy* (2011): Sciamma’s ten-year-old spends a summer as a boy; the same quiet, the same watching.
- *Ratcatcher* (1999), Fi1m 88: Glasgow, a canal, a boy who cannot say what he has seen; Ramsay’s first film. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher.md)
- *Ma vie en rose* (1997): Another Belgian child at odds with the neighbours, and much funnier about it.
- *Moonlight* (2016), Fi1m 89: Three ages of one boy, and a beach scene that does what Dhont’s bedroom does. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/moonlight.md)
- *Aftersun* (2022), Fi1m 85: A holiday remembered by the child who did not understand it at the time. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/aftersun.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/close