Around 2020, actor Elliot Page announced his transition from female to male. Starring at the time in the Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy,” his character also transitioned from female to male between the second and third seasons. Now, as writer and producer, Page explores the subject further in “Close to You.”
Toronto, Canada. The present.
Sam (Elliot Page – “Inception”) awakes and rises, getting dressed. Today is a big, difficult day for him. After years of estrangement from his family, he is going home for his father’s (Peter Outerbridge – “The Oak Room”) birthday.
While riding the train, Sam recognizes an old friend, Katherine (Hillary Baack – “Past Future”), from his school days. They reconnect and he finds they are getting off the train at the same town, their mutual home town. It is clear that they once had a very close relationship.
Separating, Sam walks to his family home where he is met warmly by his parents, siblings and their partners. However, one of these, Daniel (Jim Watson – “Slasher”), cannot get over the fact that Sam has gone through transition from female to male. As the day progresses, tensions rise and what should have been a warm, family-binding day for all is threatened.
Director/writer Dominic Savage (“I am…”) and co-writer Page have given us a tender, painful and, at times, tongue-tied exploration of what it is like to face a world where those who were closest to you remember you as someone else. The pressures, usually unspoken or only obliquely referred to, can become too much when there is an openly antagonistic element added to the mix, as there is in the character Daniel.
According to IMDB, much of the dialogue was improvised, and this shows in that most sentences are fragments, liberally salted with expletives, but still getting across in a very realistic way, the idea the character is trying to present. Few of us are eloquent in situations of social stress. However, this may be an impediment for some who are used to more polished expressions of anger, loss, and guilt than you will hear spoken in “Close to You.
Another thing the sparse dialogue — plus the numerous scenes in which Sam moves alone — represents is that we are observing a solitary journey. This is a journey of self discovery and resistance from a society that is still not ready to fully accept the cost of such discovery. The excellent cinematography by Catherine Lutes (“Firecrackers”) adds much to this.
Also of note is the musical score by Oliver Coates and director Savage. It is a melancholy combination of piano and strings (perhaps synthesized) that beautifully underlies the visuals without intruding – something much appreciated by this writer.
This is a winner – you will enjoy it.
Credits
Director: Dominic Savage
Writers: Dominic Savage, Elliot Page
Producers: Dominic Savage, Elliot Page, Daniel Bekerman, Richard Yee, Chris Yurkovich, Krishnendu Majumdar
Cinematographer: Catherine Lutes
Editor: David Charap
Music: Oliver Coates, Dominic Savage
Runtime: One hour, 40 minutes
Availability: In theaters now. VOD – Sept. 17
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