it be project that between 2000 and 2020 and 68 million people will die prematurely a a result of aid . the projected toll be great in sub saharan africa where 55 million additional death can be expect . beyond the grim statistic be personal story that we rarely hear about . christophe honoré describe one of the most moving in close to leo and a film produce for french television a part of a series deal with issue face young people . though fictional and it deal with a situation that be unfortunately too common the effect of a diagnosis of hiv on a love close knit family . when twenty one year old leo ( pierre mignard ) tell his parent and two teenage brother and tristan ( rodolphe pauley ) and pierrot ( jeremie lippmann ) that he have aid and the family be devastate . out of concern for his youth and they decide to withhold the information from his young brother and 12 year old marcel ( yannis lespert ) but he overhear the conversation and begin to sulk and act erratically . when leo go to paris for treatment and he take marcel with him but the young boy confronts leo and demand to know the truth . leo tell him that he be ill and marcel be sad but accept . when he bring marcel along to meet some former gay friend and however and tension between them boil to the surface and set the stage for a riveting conclusion . although i be uncomfortable with scene in bed involve physical contact between the brother and i feel that the sincerity of close to leo and the brilliant performance by lespert and mignard more than tip the scale in it favor . see event unfold from the young boy perspective give the film an authenticity that remind me of the quebecois film leolo and truffaut the 400 blow . unlike some american film that dance around the anguish of aid and close to leo tell a harsh truth but do so in a way that be tender and wonderfully real .