The last eight months have been pretty remarkable for Lukas Dhont. After bursting on the global film scene with “Girl” in 2018, the Belgian filmmaker returned to the Cannes Film Festival with his sophomore effort, “Close.” That heartbreaking drama won the Grand Prix (effectively coming in second) and was quickly scooped up by A24. After causing AMPAS members at the Telluride Film Festival to sob, “Close” won numerous festival honors around the globe, took the NBR Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and landed five European Film Award nominations.

Continue reading ‘Close’: Lukas Dhont On Why You Should See His Oscar-Nominated Film This Weekend [Interview] at The Playlist.

January is always an interesting time of year for film releases, no longer the dumping ground for Hollywood as each year grows increasingly inundated with new films. This month, in particular, possesses an interesting release schedule, with many streamer releases either directly to or ones such as Scott Cooper’s “The Pale Blue Eye” which first ran in limited theaters at the end of December. Elsewhere, there’s a winter horror flick with a story by modern horror favorite James Wan, spillover from 2022 with festival favorites and acclaimed foreign-language films such as Alice Diop’s patient “Saint Omer.” That, plus the incoming Sundance Film Festival, along with SAG nominations later in the month, helps keep the conversation going; just another reminder that there are plenty of great cinematic projects to discover all year long. 

Continue reading 13 Films To See In January: ‘The Pale Blue Eye,’ ‘Infinity Pool,’ ‘Close’ & More at The Playlist.

In a year where most consultants felt there was little competition for the 15 film shortlist, well, there wasn’t. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the remaining International Film contenders and it was somewhat predictable. Cannes winners “Close,” “Corsage,” “Decision to Leave,” “Holy Spider,” “EO” and “Joyland” all made the cut.

READ MORE: “Triangle of Sadness” wins the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival

Netflix’s two contenders, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) and the polarizing “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” (Mexico), each made the list.

Continue reading ‘Close,’ ‘Bardo,’ ‘Decision To Leave’ Make International Film Shortlist at The Playlist.

The big movie theater comeback we all expected may have been slightly delayed by a year (we see you 2023), but the past 12 months saw “some” great cinema find its way to the masses. And while the selections at Telluride, Sundance, and TIFF were disappointing overall, Cannes thankfully delivered the goods. In fact, of our top 10 films of 2022, three debuted on la Croisette.

READ MORE: The Playlist’s 25 Best Films of 2022

Unlike television, where Peak TV has made whittling down to 10 selections extremely difficult, we were truly only passionate about just five of our film selections.

Continue reading Gregory Ellwood’s Top 10 Films & TV Programs Of 2022 at The Playlist.

The 35th European Film Awards nominations were announced Tuesday morning and, for the first time in recent memory, they may influence the upcoming 2023 Oscar season. International Film contenders Lukas Dhont’s “Close” and Ali Abbasi’s “Holy Spider” as well as Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness” taking four nominations each. They were joined in the prestigious European Film category by Carla Simón’s “Alcarràs” and Marie Kreutzer’s “Corsage.”

READ MORE: “The Fablemans” finally lands in LA as Best Picture buzz grows [Contender Countdown]

This year’s ceremony will occur on December 10, in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Continue reading ‘Close,’ ‘Holy Spider’ & ‘Triangle of Sadness’ Dominate 2022 European Film Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

Last year there were 93 nations that submitted films for the coveted International Film Academy Award. Only five were nominated, but they had a major hurdle to overcome first, the shortlist. Landing one of those 15 initial spots, judged by an estimated 900+ members of the Academy, is almost as coveted as a nomination itself. And if you’re an “established” filmmaking market that doesn’t make the cut, (as with France and “Titane” last year), heads may roll due to national embarrassment.

Continue reading Oscars 2023: 25 Contenders That Could Make The International Film Shortlist at The Playlist.

Growing up is tough, we all know that, especially when you struggle to fit in. This scenario is often where young friendships can end because one party feels being accepted is better than keeping their friendship with someone who is an “outcast.” That very difficult decision to end a friendship because of your peers is the heart of A24’s new film, “Close.” The heartwrenching story about how devastating friendship breakups can be when you are young, especially when they’re one-sided, stars Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele as Léo and Rémi, two thirteen-year-old boys. 

READ MORE: ‘Close’ Is A Exquisite Tale Of Childhood Heartbreak [Cannes Review]

Léo and Rémi have just spent a beautiful summer together, forming a deep friendship.

Continue reading ‘Close’ Trailer: An Unlikely Friendship Is Formed By The Collapse of Another In Lukas Dhont’s Award-Winning Film at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – Venice may be enraptured in gossip-y drama over a film no one will be talking about two months from now (and, clearly, a very frustrating ticketing system), but the 49th edition of the Telluride Film Festival was where the 2023 Oscar season truly kicked off. The annual Colorado set festival certainly has its fair share of world premieres and curated Venice and Cannes titles, but that’s only one reason it has solidified its reputation as an awards season staple.

Continue reading ‘Women Talking,’ Cate Blanchett, Olivia Colman And… ‘Close’ Top Telluride’s Oscars Buzzlist at The Playlist.

The closing ceremony for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival provided a number of surprises. The biggest being “Triangle of Sadness” taking the Palme d’Or. Not only did it become Ruben Östlund’s second Palme winner after the “Square,” but U.S. distributor NEON’s third win in a row after 2021’s “Titane” and 2019’s “Parasite.” Like Julia Ducournau‘s winner though, “Sadness” will likely not be a significant player during awards season.

Continue reading Did The 2023 Oscars Kickoff At Cannes? at The Playlist.

CANNES – Lukas Dhont’s second feature, “Close,” starts off where most love stories end, and, in that respect, it begins with almost euphoric joy. Leo (Eden Dambrine) and Remi (Gustav De Waele) are the best of friends. They play imaginary games in the forest and chase each other through the flower fields of Leo’s family farm. They are probably on the cusp of thinking such things are too childish, but not just yet.

Continue reading ‘Close’ Is A Exquisite Tale Of Childhood Heartbreak [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

The adrenaline-pumping Netflix original film “Close” puts the stress of the bodyguard world center stage. Helmed by writer/director Vicky Jewson (“Lady Godiva,” “Born of War“) and starring Noomi Rapace the film is inspired by real-life events involving the world leading female bodyguard Jackie Davis.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019 

Sam Carlson (Noomi Rapace) is a counterterrorism expert at the top of her field.

Continue reading Noomi Rapace & Director Vicky Jewson Talk Netflix’s Action Thriller ‘Close’ & An Exciting Wave In Cinema For Female Filmmakers [Interview] at The Playlist.

If this bodyguard thriller were direct-to-VOD, rather than Netflix, it’s the kind of film that we’d expect Steven Seagal to lead, playing the gruff security expert who softens in the presence of his young charge. But this is Netflix – which is pretty legit most of the time – and instead of Seagal and his ponytail, we get Noomi Rapace and her bun. “Close” is better than late-period Seagal from every angle, but it’s still a largely forgettable action movie that will likely get lost in the sea of original titles added to Netflix each month and will fade from memory if you do stumble upon it and press play.

Continue reading Noomi Rapace’s ‘Close’ Is A Largely Forgettable Action Film Destined To Get Lost In The Netflix Abyss [Review] at The Playlist.

Sometimes you want to watch a film that’s bound to win a dozen awards and be called the best of the year. And sometimes you just want to watch a film that features lots of things blowing up and bullets flying around. If you’re interested in that second scenario, Netflix is starting 2019 off with a bang thanks to its upcoming original film “Close.”

As seen in the first trailer for the film, Noomi Rapace stars as the best damn bodyguard in the world, who is assigned a brand-new client – a rich heiress that is definitely someone you’d probably seen hocking herbal, diet teas on Instagram.

Continue reading ‘Close’ Trailer: Noomi Rapace Is A Badass Bodyguard In New Netflix Action-Thriller at The Playlist.