Close
A24 | Release Date: January 27, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
31
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Irish TimesTara BradyFeb 18, 2023
The powerful current Palme d’Or favourite features terrific performances from youthful leads Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele, claustrophobic cinematography from Frank van den Eeden, weepie-worthy orchestrations from Valentin Hadjadj, and meaningful musings on how we hide behind small-talk, and internalise pain and gender norms. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonFeb 18, 2023
To watch Close is to be fully immersed in its finely detailed world suggested by Dhont and co-writer Angelo Tijssens; realized by Dhont and cinematographer Frank van den Eeden; and brought to life by the exquisite performances of its top-notch cast, led by Dambrine, De Waele, Dequenne and — as Leo’s mother — Léa Drucker. As its accolades suggest, it is one of the best films of 2022. Read full review
100
ObserverRex ReedFeb 10, 2023
Belgian writer-director Lukas Dhont sustains the balance of mood and physical beauty with a thrilling eloquence and Eden Dambrine as Leo and Gustav DeWaele as Remi are stunning young discoveries who will not easily be forgotten. Read full review
100
Washington PostAnn HornadayJan 31, 2023
Dhont tells a familiar story in what feels like a fresh and urgently new way, with sensitivity, sadness and promising glimmers of hope. Read full review
100
CineVueJohn BleasdaleJun 10, 2022
Dhont’s second film is a touching and empathetic treatment of male friendship, superbly acted and beautifully filmed. Read full review
100
BBCNicholas BarberJun 2, 2022
The script is so economical, and the acting so beautifully natural (especially by Dambrine, a remarkable discovery), that Close feels less like a drama than a tapestry of fragments from a candid documentary. Read full review
100
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMay 27, 2022
Close is a great film about friendship, but perhaps an even greater one about being alone. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJan 27, 2023
Shot in alternating French and Flemish, it's also quintessentially European, but the language of his storytelling is the most universal kind: a moving and often sublime piece of small-scale filmmaking, told with uncommon empathy. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubManuel BetancourtJan 25, 2023
Close is exquisite, tender, and bruising in equal measure, managing to feel both like an open wound and a balm. Read full review
91
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodMay 27, 2022
Dhont, who displayed an impressive artistic vision with his feature and slightly problematic debut “Girl,” has pulled off something miraculous with his sophomore effort. Read full review
90
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Amil NiaziFeb 18, 2023
Fans of stunning cinematography, thoughtful writing and pure, unadulterated emotional torture will find Close to be worthy of the Oscar nod. Read full review
90
SlashfilmRyan LestonJun 1, 2022
Close is a story about growing up and losing those wondrous childhood relationships forever, but it's far more than that. It's a tender glimpse of loss on an unimaginable scale, told through the lens of a young boy trying to make sense of it all. Read full review
90
Screen DailyWendy IdeMay 27, 2022
The combination of knock out performances, in particular from newcomer Eden Dambrine as Léo, and direction of uncommon sensitivity from Dhont makes for a picture which is intimate in scope but which packs a considerable emotional wallop. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinMay 27, 2022
Dhont and his team know just how to turn up the emotional dials with stunning magic-hour lensing that gives golden-haired Dambrine a halo of backlit suffering as he stands in fields of nodding dahlias, that most gloriously domestic and benevolent flower. Read full review
88
The Associated PressLindsey BahrJan 26, 2023
Close is a crushing story of grief told with grace by Belgian director Lukas Dhont. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineDiego SemereneJan 16, 2023
The film reminds us that any coming of age is a risky business where finitude and mourning are the only guarantees. Read full review
83
Original-CinJim SlotekJan 31, 2023
Far from being mysterious and confounding, it rings utterly true as it captures both the beauty and fragility of young boys’ friendships, amid the storm of growth and social pressure. Read full review
80
Little White LiesHannah StrongMar 10, 2023
For me, Close gets to the heart of something I know all too well: bone-deep loneliness, grief, sadness and desperation that is hard to articulate, much less as a young child. To show this so masterfully, and without an ounce of judgement, make Close a small wonder. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Mark KermodeMar 7, 2023
Astonishingly natural and engaging performances from young newcomers Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele lend heartfelt authenticity to a film that builds upon the promise of 2018’s Girl, confirming Dhont as a deft and empathetic chronicler of the tumultuous anguish and ecstasy of adolescence. Read full review
80
EmpireElla KempFeb 28, 2023
Despite a hugely harrowing storyline, Close somehow musters the strength to take care of its audience and leave us with something beautiful and brave. There’s faith in a better future. Read full review
80
TheWrapBen CrollFeb 18, 2023
Dhont tracks it with the elegant (if hardly new) symbolism of the changing of the seasons. Carefree summer gives way to the fall harvest, which soon leads to a winter of shared discontent. But he is a generous and patient director of his unknown and more established performers, giving all moments to shine. Read full review
80
The New YorkerAnthony LaneJan 23, 2023
What Dhont understands, in short, is how kinetic the rites of passage are—how growing pains are expressed not in words, however therapeutic, but in rushes of activity. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenOct 13, 2022
It’s a quiet tragedy that’s rendered close to uplifting by its gentle grace and compassion. Read full review
80
Total FilmNeil SmithMay 27, 2022
Guileless performances, understated direction and bucolic Belgian scenery combine to create a quiet gem of a film. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 27, 2022
There’s no doubting the force of this drenchingly sad story. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfFeb 2, 2023
Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont’s latest film Close is a devastatingly heavy watch, a delicately filmed tragedy that takes hold of your emotions and never lets go for the duration of its run time. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 26, 2023
I like the way Dhont gives viewers room to make up our own minds about what’s happening and come to different conclusions than you’d expect from him, given the subject matter and the tack his first two feature films have taken. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJan 26, 2023
The roteness of the film’s second half — reinforced by Valentin Hadjadj’s over-insistent score — can’t dispel the exquisite insight of its earlier scenes or the heart-rending precision of the performances. Read full review
67
The Film StageDavid KatzJun 1, 2022
Embracing Close will depend on how willing you are to forgive the filmmaker for overriding some nuances he’s established, compared to the insightful things he’s able to say when not aiming to emotionally provoke us. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMay 27, 2022
Beautiful as Dhont’s eye for detail can be, and vital as his willingness to explore the unbearably tender pockets of adolescence often proves here, Close still finds its sensitive — if sometimes borderline sadistic — young filmmaker defaulting to universal pain whenever he fears that more personal feelings may be too poignantly ethereal to see on camera. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJan 27, 2023
As focused and controlled as every scene in "Close" is, it feels, in a way, calculated and almost cruel. Read full review
60
The IndependentAdam WhiteMar 2, 2023
Hushed glances between estranged friends give way to maximalist drama and heavy-handed symbolism, as if the everyday horror of growing up needs literal horror to be cinematic. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJan 26, 2023
As good as his actors are — especially the wonderful Dequenne, whose Sophie quietly seeks to repair the boys’ broken bond — they cannot conceal the calculation inherent in this story’s design. Nor can they quite overcome the disconnect between the glossy, self-admiring visual beauty of Close and the stormier, uglier emotional depths it purports to uncover. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 27, 2022
I am convinced that Dhont has a masterpiece in him. But there’s an immaturity to his movies that he must first overcome. He’s already so close Read full review
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