Boys don’t cry?

Queer as a contraposition to the hegemonic masculinity in the film Close (2022)

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis of the contrapositions that the feature film Close (2022), directed by Lukas Dhont, establishes towards hegemonic masculinity. The movie portrays the end of childhood for Leo and Remi, two 13-year-old boys who have a very close friendship. Although they do not experience a homosexual relationship, the physical proximity between the characters destabilizes social impositions aimed at the male gender, in such a way that the hostility they receive at school and Leo’s distance lead Remi to commit suicide. Our analysis focuses on the narrative of the scenes in which Leo cries, considering that this act is socially seen as a demonstration of weakness, especially in male individuals. The problem we present is: how does crying reveal itself to be a manifestation that connects Close to queer cinema? The thinking of Bonfanti and Gomes (2018), Connell and Messerschmidt (2013), Deleuze (1983), Gaudreault and Jost (2009), and Nagime (2016) will be used as a theoretical basis. As a result, we realized that the film contributes to the debate on queer cinema by portraying that, although repressions with homophobic motivation do not always come from the family, adultcentrism is a means of passing on prejudiced values between generations.