Here we go … This will probably be one of many festival prizes that Lukas Dhont’s “Close” will be getting on its way to an inevitable Best International Film Oscar nod.
Dhont’s childhood drama won the Best Film award at the Sydney Film Festival. If you remember, “Close” also won the Grand Jury Prize at this past May’s Cannes Film Festival.
It’s already a heavy frontrunner to win the big award at this coming September’s Toronto International Film Festival. “Close” is the kind of film that is not in the least bit “high-brow” and can win the hearts of mainstream audiences.
I was mixed on it when I saw it at Cannes, where I found it just didn’t earn its manipulative tears. It currently has an 83 score on Metacritic (based on 12 reviews).
The Sydney Film Festival’s official competition was composed of 12 titles, including, Berlinale winner, Carla Simón’s “Alcarass,” Hlynur Pálmason’s “Godland,” and Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love.”