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Belgium director Lukas Dhont’s Grand Prix winner at last year’s Cannes Film Festival was a small and intimate examination of masculinity, friendship and homophobia (not homosexuality) in the guise of a family/coming of age drama. 

It’s always a risk when a film is carried on the shoulders of not only a first time actor, but a first time child actor, and Dhont directed the gorgeous and intense-eyed Eden Dambrine and the lovely soulful Gustav De Waele beautifully and expertly. In particular, act one was so achingly sincere and tender that we absorbed bought into the boys’ friendships and brotherhood (it also helped that the boys were friends already). 

However, other than the innocence of these boys, the biggest strength of Dhont’s almost documentary-like film was the delicate navigation of the emotional landscape surrounding the central conceit of the story. Simply put it was about the friendship of the two boys and how society had conditioned and manipulated our views and opinions of boys, men and masculinity. How even in this day and age, progressiveness may not have penetrated as widely as we think despite the digital age and the ubiquitous nature of social media.  

As the film carried on, it slowly veered from Dhont’s documentary style follow through of our protagonist to a more straight forward family drama climaxing in an effective but manipulative ending with a satisfying epilogue. A lot of the heavy emotional lifting came from the parents but Dambrine was also excellent (and excellently directed) in the quieter more introspective moments. 

It will be interesting to see whether Dambrine and De Waele will continue acting after this, and if so how will they care, but Dhont continues to be an exciting director to keep an eye on. The Palme d’Or will be his one day.