Close

when i was eleven, i forced myself not to cry at my best friend's funeral because i believed that it'd make me look feminine and weak. when i was twelve or thirteen, i tried to ignore the voice inside me telling me that i was queer because i believed that i couldn't be "normal" if i liked boys. 'close' has made me feel seen in a way that no other film has before. i've genuinely never felt so represented by two characters in my life: léo, a boy who's terrified of how he appears, and rémi, a boy who feels cast aside and lost. we all like to think toxic masculinity and homophobia are in the past but they're still here, and they're massively pervasive — especially within groups of young boys in school. at birth, the idea of masculinity being strength and a total lack of vulnerability is instilled into us. throughout our lives, we are taught that in order to be a "man" you need to be disconnected from your emotions. the resonation of 'close' is there because we have all seen it, felt it. this film puts it into a beautiful form, perfectly encapsulates it. a true powerhouse of a movie.