Film
Film reviews: Bleak shadows of reality darken a shared boyhood innocence in Oscar contender
It’s impossible to discuss Belgian director Lukas Dhont’s Close in depth without revealing too much of the plot, but the film is notable for extraordinary performances from its two central characters
Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes last year, and competing against An Cailín Ciúin for the International Feature Film Oscar in a little over a week, Belgian writer and director Lukas Dhont’s Close is a heartbreakingly empathetic story of childhood friendship, told with exquisite grace and jarring emotional honesty.
The film is so delicately poised, in fact, that it poses a problem for the critic or indeed anyone who wants to talk about it. ...