"Close" and "The Quiet Girl"

Two of my favorite films of 2022 are foreign films about children, both very simple and very intimate.  I keep thinking about them in relation to each other, especially in the way that much of the storytelling is done without dialogue.  

"Close," one of last year's Cannes Grand Prix winners, was made by Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont. It follows a pair of thirteen year old boys who are best friends - Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele).  The two are inseparable until one day at school, someone asks them if they're a couple.  Léo becomes self-conscious and starts pulling away from Rémi, which leads to unforeseen consequences.

 "Close" is not about homophobia or bullying.  Léo and Rémi experience some teasing, but what breaks up their friendship is something deeply internalized in Léo that he doesn't have a name for.  Part of it may be toxic masculinity, as Léo starts playing hockey and trying to fit in with the other boys.  Part of it may simply be Léo growing up and wanting to assert himself as an individual.  However, the damage he causes, no matter how inadvertent and how understandable, is real.  Léo ends up hurting both his best friend and his parents, especially Rémi's mother Sophie (Émilie Dequenne).  Much of this is done indirectly, with neither boy ever acknowledging what's happening between them. 

What is so impactful about "Close" is that it's told via such familiar, appealing images of boyhood.  Léo and Rémi are part of a rural community and are often surrounded by idyllic nature.  Léo is frequently seen helping out on his family's farm, tending brightly colored flowers.  The boys' interactions with other children at school are mainly positive, and they're all surrounded by caring adults.  However, no one is able to stop the tragedy from occurring.  The few instances of violence we see are deceptive.  It's easy to want to dismiss the playground fights and arguments as trivial until it's clear that they're not.  "Close" is a sobering look at troubled youth set in a place where we'd least expect it, which helps to highlight the root of the issues more clearly, and to help them feel more personal and immediate.

"The Quiet Girl" is also a story of childhood heartbreak.  A nine year old girl named Cáit (Catherine Clinch) is part of a large, rowdy Irish family where she is often overlooked and neglected.  The family is poor and their lives are chaotic.  When her mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh) gives birth to another child, Cáit is sent away to stay with distant relatives, Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) and Seán Cinnsealach (Andrew Bennett).  They're an older couple with no other children, and under their care Cáit blossoms.  The transformation is gradual, and initially Cáit is wary of her new guardians.  Eibhlín is kindly and patient, but Seán is gruff and intimidating.

Directed by Colm Bairéad, "The Quiet Girl" is a rare Irish language film that has gotten international attention, and this helps to distinguish it as of its own particular milieu.  Like "Close," it's told largely from the POV of its child lead, as she weathers turbulent emotional changes.  Cáit is so withdrawn that she hardly speaks at first, and it's wonderful to see her progress and opening up, little by little.  As she learns to connect to others, her world becomes brighter and more inviting.   There's a delicacy and tentativeness to the tone that is very appealing, highlighting all the little moments of emotional uncertainty that the characters have to navigate.    

The effectiveness of the film depends on its sheer simplicity.  The characters have to learn to overcome the distance between them, and there is a secret to be discovered, but the pleasures of the filmmaking come chiefly from being in the moment with Cáit, simply learning to exist differently in a new, more promising environment.  Little adjustments in behaviors and routines are as important as the bigger changes.  The film takes place in the early 80s, and there's a lovely nostalgia for a more pastoral, uncomplicated childhood experience.  Catherine Clinch is wonderfully natural onscreen, and it's very easy to become invested in Cáit's journey.

My biggest worry about the film is that it feels so ephemeral, it might slip through the cracks and disappear without a trace.  Like its main character, "The Quiet Girl" could use more attention.

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