FILM #4
OF 39
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“CLOSE“
FEBRUARY 3, 2023
AMC BURBANK 16
DAY 11
OF 48
Best INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Belgium
“Close” made me wonder what life would be like in a vacuum. What would it be like if everyone could be authentic with no outside interference?
As the film begins, you get a glimpse of what that would be like for Remi and Leo. Their connection is the basis for the title. They are inseparable. At thirteen years old, they are on the verge of questioning whether or not their friendship might be slightly more, as they share the same bed during sleepovers and freely share whatever flows through their imaginations. But then they start school together, and everything changes.
On day one, a group of girls questions whether they are a couple. Leo takes this harsher than Remi, and the film’s real drama transpires from there. Both boys deliver performances beyond their years, devastating you with their subtle tears and saying a hundred things with a look.
Lukas Dhont begs many questions with “Close,” like who holds the blame, if anyone, for the outcome of Leo and Remi’s broken friendship. Peer pressure happens, and it’s hard to blame Leo for exploring other paths and making new friends. There may have been a way to do it more gradually, but these are kids, and how much can you honestly expect from them? In the end, “Close” is one of the rawest and most sincere looks at adolescence since “My Girl.”
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
BELGIUM
| 86th Academy Awards (2013) | Best Foreign Language Film | “The Broken Circle Breakdown” | Nominee |
| 84th Academy Awards (2011) | Best Foreign Language Film | “Bullhead” | Nominee |
| 73rd Academy Awards (2000) | Best Foreign Language Film | “Everybody Famous!” | Nominee |
| 67th Academy Awards (1994) | Best Foreign Language Film | “Farinelli: Il Castrato” | Nominee |
| 65th Academy Awards (1992) | Best Foreign Language Film | “Daens” | Nominee |
| 61st Academy Awards (1988) | Best Foreign Language Film | “The Music Teacher” | Nominee |
| 43rd Academy Awards (1970) | Best Foreign Language Film | “Paix Sur Les Champs” | Nominee |
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. “Close” is a film about friendship and responsibility.
Directed by Lukas Dhont
A24
September 2, 2022
105 minutes
ACCOLADES
Golden Globes Awards — Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language (Nominee)
British Independent Film Awards — Best International Independent Film (Nominee)
Cannes Film Festival — Grand Prize of the Festival [Winner]
Critics Choice Awards — Best Foreign Language Film (Nominee)
European Film Awards — European Film (Nominee)
GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics — Non-English Language Film (Nominee)
Hamburg Film Festival — Best Film [Winner]
Hamptons International Film Festival — Narrative Feature [Winner]
Heartland International Film Festival — Narrative Special Presentation [Winner]
Key West Film Festival — Best LGBTQ Feature [Winner]
National Board of Review — Best International Film [Winner]
Satellite Awards — Best Motion Picture, International (Nominee)
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)
2. “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina)
3. “Close” (Belgium)
4. “The Quiet Girl” (Ireland)
5. “EO” (Poland)
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)
2. “Close” (Belgium)
3. “The Quiet Girl” (Ireland)
4. “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina)
5. “EO” (Poland)
