Lukas Dhont- Hot Seat Interview- Close

At the age of 31, Lukas Dhont has already won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and can now be called an Oscar Nominated director. Needless to say, the native of Ghent, Belgium is an incredibly talented director. His films are bursting with authenticity. His second feature Close is a breathtaking portrayal of young men growing up, the pressures of masculinity, and the fracturing of a beautiful friendship. I was so blessed to be able to talk with Lukas about his inspirations for cinema, casting his young star actor, and telling a powerful story to move an audience. Watch my interview here:

[@dexter-ou2mt]

Très bon & beau film ... Tout en nuance et pudeur...Bravo ! 😃👍

[@CallousCoder]

He's a really thoughtful film maker.
This movie really hit home for me. It was like seeing a part of my now distant youth. I had a friend with whom I cuddled, we slept at eachother's place 2 or 3 times a week, because our parents worked and so logistically it just was easier if a few days in the week we'd be at the same location. And we literally slept in the same bed, and never thought anything about it.
But we go to highschool and one day I was waiting at the bike rack for him to arrive (like we've done for almost 3 or 4 months) and he comes he parks his bike we walk to the main entrance and I put my arm around his neck, like we always had done.
He pushed it a way and called me a homophobic slur... And I was so confused that almost 3 years being best friends he could do that.
Then the bond broke. He had his group of friends (the tough crowd) and I had the "geek squad". And at a certain point I didn't hate him anymore but we hardly talked. We had changed as boys,
Although in college we met up again and we became very good friends again.
This movie brought back those memories.

[@joshuapowell114]

I wish id had that closeness when I was young.