The film depicts the story of a break-up between two close friends. Thirteen-year-olds Léo and Rémi are inseparable; closer than brothers, they spend time together at school, on Léo’s family’s picturesque dahlia farm, and have sleepovers. Realising that their classmates perceive their closeness differently than he does, Léo re-evaluates their relationship and who he would like to be.

Director Lukas Dhont’s previous film Girl (2018) was celebrated both at Cannes and internationally. It was a subtle and intimate story about a young, ballet-dancing trans woman, which the director now follows up with another coming-of-age story. With his drama Close, the bright young Belgian auteur, who is often hailed as the “Xavier Dolan of anti-form”, takes us into the frailty of childhood friendships and personal identity. Dhont got the idea for his Cannes Grand Prix-winning film when he visited his former school. The visit reminded him of the oppressive weight of social norms but also brought back warm childhood memories.