Lukas Dhont (Girl) returns with his sophomore feature Close, a story about two young boys whose close friendship gets conflicted by toxic masculinity. In both films, Dhont has a particular gift for exuding emotional clarity within his characters. The vibes are instantaneous, the rapport between the actors is present and open. However, it’s in his script that affects my conflicting attitude towards his work.
First, Dhont always uses ploys to illicit a reaction or emotion. But the way he uses…