Close (2022 film)
Close | |
---|---|
Directed by | Lukas Dhont |
Screenplay by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Frank van den Eeden |
Edited by | Alain Dessauvage |
Music by | Valentin Hadjadj |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
Countries |
|
Languages |
|
Box office | $1.9 million[1] |
Close is a 2022 coming-of-age drama film directed by Lukas Dhont, and written by Dhont and Angelo Tijssens, reteaming after their first feature film Girl (2018). The film stars Eden Dambrine, Gustav de Waele, Emilie Dequenne and Léa Drucker.
Close premiered at the Cannes Film Festival[2] on 26 May 2022 to critical acclaim and the Grand Prix. The film was released by Diaphana Distribution in France on 1 November 2022 and by Lumière in Benelux on 2 November. On 16 September 2022, the film was announced as Belgium's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[3]
Plot
Thirteen-year-olds Léo and Rémi spend the long summer holidays in innocent intimacy, but come the school year, their close friendship is thrown into disarray as their relationship is noticed and commented on by their contemporaries. In reaction to their sometimes insulting or intrusive comments, Léo attempts to distance himself from Rémi.
Cast
- Eden Dambrine as Léo
- Gustav de Waele as Rémi
- Émilie Dequenne as Sophie
- Léa Drucker as Nathalie
- Kevin Janssens as Peter
- Marc Weiss as Yves
- Igor van Dessel as Charlie
- Léon Bataille as Baptiste
Production
On 19 December 2018, it was announced that Lukas Dhont was developing a follow-up feature film to his 2018 Cannes Film Festival award-winning directorial debut Girl. Co-writer Angelo Tijssens and producer Dirk Impens were attached to re-team with Dhont for the then-untitled film, with Dhont stating that "It's going to be different but also in the style of Girl", and that "At the centre of it is a queer character."[4] In writing the film, Dhont was inspired by psychologist Niobe Way's book Deep Secrets, which documents her study of intimacy among teenage boys. Dhont named the film after "close friendship", a recurring term in the book.[5]
There were no further developments on the project until 23 July 2020, when it was announced that Dhont had set up an open casting call for the two male lead roles in the film that were set to be played by amateur actors, with the casting scheduled to take place at the end of August. In addition, filming was scheduled to start the following summer.[6] The casting call was open to speakers of both French and Flemish, and Dhont decided to film it in French after casting.[7] On 20 October 2020, it was announced that the film would be titled Close and that international sales agent The Match Factory had joined the project. Dhont's brother Michael Dhont was also attached to produce the film.[8] On 29 June 2021, the film featured on Eurimages' annual list of co-production financing, with the fund supporting the film with €300,000.[9]
Principal photography for the film began on 9 July 2021. Alongside the start of production, it was also announced that Emilie Dequenne and Léa Drucker were cast in main roles. Speaking about the film, Dhont said: "Three years after the overwhelming trip of Girl, it's incredibly good to be back on the set, with this hugely talented cast and crew, especially as this story is close to my heart."[10]
Release
Close had its world premiere in competition for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival[11] on 26 May 2022, where it was later awarded the Grand Prix. It also played in the Official Competition at the 2022 Sydney Film Festival, where it also won the Sydney Film Prize.[12]
The film was released by Diaphana Distribution in France on 1 November 2022 and by Lumière in Benelux on 2 November. It is set to be released by A24 in the United States.[13]
At Cannes, streaming service Mubi acquired distribution rights for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Turkey and India.[14]
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Close holds an approval rating of 92% based on 39 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 8.5/10.[15] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 83 out of 100 based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]
In a poll by IndieWire of 75 critics at Cannes, Close was named the best film of the festival.[17] Dhont shared the Grand Prix with Claire Denis' Stars at Noon.[11] The film also won the Film Prize in June 2022 at the Sydney Film Festival.[18]
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cannes Film Festival | 28 May 2022 | Palme d'Or | Lukas Dhont | Nominated | [19] |
Grand Prix | Won | ||||
Queer Palm | Nominated | [20] | |||
Sydney Film Festival | 19 June 2022 | Sydney Film Prize | Close | Won | [18] |
Miskolc International Film Festival | 17 September 2022 | Emeric Pressburger Prize | Nominated | [21] | |
CICAE Award | Won | [22] | |||
Hamptons International Film Festival | 15 October 2022 | Narrative Feature | Won | [23] | |
Mill Valley Film Festival | 18 October 2022 | Audience Favorite - World Cinema (Non-English Language) | Won | [24] | |
Chicago International Film Festival | 21 October 2022 | Gold Hugo | Nominated | [25] [26] | |
Silver Hugo Jury Award | Won | ||||
Gold Q-Hugo | Won | ||||
Montclair Film Festival | 30 October 2022 | Special Junior Jury Award for Performance | Eden Dambrine | Won | [27] |
Seville European Film Festival | 12 November 2022 | Golden Giraldillo | Close | Nominated | [28] |
Golden Jury Award | Won | ||||
Best Actor | Eden Dambrine | Won | |||
British Independent Film Awards | 4 December 2022 | Best International Independent Film | Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens, Michiel Dhont, Dirk Impens | Pending | [29] |
European Film Awards | 10 December 2022 | Best Film | Close | Pending | [30] |
Best Director | Lukas Dhont | Pending | |||
Best Screenwriter | Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens | Pending | |||
Best Actor | Eden Dambrine | Pending | |||
European University Film Award | Close | Pending | [31] |
See also
- List of submissions to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of Belgian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
- ^ "Close (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ Scott Roxborough (14 April 2022). "David Cronenberg, Park Chan-wook, Kelly Reichardt Set for Cannes Competition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- ^ Dams, Tim (16 September 2022). "Lukas Dhont's 'Close' selected as Belgium's Oscar entry". Screen Daily. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (19 December 2018). "'Girl' Director Lukas Dhont To Reteam With Writer & Producer On Next Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Interview with Lukas Dhont". CloseTheFilm.be. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ De Poorter, Eva (23 July 2020). "'Girl'-regisseur Lukas Dhont op zoek naar jonge acteurs voor nieuw filmproject: "Ervaring is niet nodig"" ['Girl' director Lukas Dhont looking for young actors for new film project: "No experience necessary"]. Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Newmark, Liz (11 October 2022). "Telling tales about troubled teenagers". The Brussels Times. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Rosser, Michael (20 October 2020). "The Match Factory boards Lukas Dhont's 'Close' for international sales (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ González, David (29 June 2021). "Eurimages supports 49 co-productions". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (9 July 2021). "'Girl' director Lukas Dhont sets cast, starts shooting new film 'Close' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ a b "The 75th Festival de Cannes winners list". Festival de Cannes. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Tulich, Katherine (19 June 2022). "Lukas Dhont's 'Close' Wins Best Film Prize at Sydney Festival". Variety. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (26 May 2022). "Cannes: A24 Takes Rights to Lukas Dhont's 'Close' for North America". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (26 May 2022). "Lukas Dhont's Cannes Competition Drama 'Close' Sells To Mubi For UK/Ire, LatAm, Turkey & India". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Close". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Close 2022". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ Blauvelt, Christian (31 May 2022). "The Best Movies of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, According to 75 Critics". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ a b Jefferson, Dee (19 June 2022). "Belgian film Close, about teen male friendship, wins Sydney Film Festival's top prize". ABC News. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (28 May 2022). "Cannes Film Festival: Ruben Ostlund Wins Second Palme D'Or With 'Triangle Of Sadness' – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ "Pakistani trans drama wins Cannes 'Queer Palm' award". France 24. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "18. Cinefest Miskolci Nemzetközi Filmfesztivál" (PDF) (in Hungarian). Miskolc International Film Festival. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "The 18th CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival presented its awards". Miskolc International Film Festival. 17 September 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (15 October 2022). "Hamptons Film Festival Caps 30th Edition By Giving Top Narrative Prize To A24's 'Close'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Erik (18 October 2022). "'TÁR' wins Mill Valley Film Festival Audience Award; 'The Whale,' 'Close' receive top awards". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (16 September 2022). "'No Bears', 'Saint Omer' among Chicago fest international selections (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "58th Chicago International Film Festival Reveals Award Winners". RogerEbert.com. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Moye, Clarence (31 October 2022). "Montclair Film Festival Announces 2022 Award Winners". Awards Daily. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ McLennan, Callum (13 November 2022). "'Saint Omer,' 'Close' 'Will-o'-the-Wisp' Win Big at Seville". Variety.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (4 November 2022). "British Independent Film Awards: 'Aftersun,' 'Blue Jean' & 'The Wonder' Lead Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (8 November 2022). "'Close', 'Holy Spider' & 'Triangle Of Sadness' Lead European Film Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Five Films Nominated for European University Film Award (EUFA)". European Film Academy. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
External links
- 2022 films
- 2022 drama films
- 2022 LGBT-related films
- 2022 multilingual films
- 2020s Dutch-language films
- 2020s French films
- 2020s French-language films
- Belgian coming-of-age drama films
- Belgian LGBT-related films
- Belgian multilingual films
- Cannes Grand Prix winners
- Dutch coming-of-age films
- Dutch drama films
- Dutch LGBT-related films
- Dutch multilingual films
- Films directed by Lukas Dhont
- French coming-of-age drama films
- French-language Belgian films
- French LGBT-related films
- French multilingual films
- LGBT-related coming-of-age films
- LGBT-related drama films