Unless you’ve been binging Umbrella Academy on Netflix, you likely haven’t seen much of Elliot Page since he came out as a transgender man back in December 2020. He is arguably the most visible Trans actor in Hollywood and has weathered seemingly equal amounts of love and support against waves of bigotry and hate. His personal journey is partially reflected in the semi-autobiographical Close to You directed by Dominic Savage.
Thirty-something Sam (Page) returns to his small Ontario hometown for the birthday of his father (Peter Outerbridge). While he is eagerly welcomed with open arms by his parents and siblings, there is an overly-polite awkwardness that permeates the proceedings that keeps Sam from completely settling in. The tension ultimately bubbles over in a confrontation with Sam’s future brother-in-law Paul (David Reale) who has trouble accepting Sam’s trans identity and whose callous behaviour threatens to derail the whole weekend.
Sam finds a sort of sanctuary with childhood bestie Katherine (Hillary Baack) as they rekindle their relationship after a decade-plus gap. Sam reveals his feelings for her are stronger than friendship and urges the married Katherine to return to Toronto with him. It’s a big ask, but as it turns out, not necessarily an impossible one…
Close to You maintains a fascinating and often uncomfortable verisimilitude throughout via largely-improvised scenes where souls are bared and emotions boil over. Page doesn’t so much act the part as live vicariously through it, with every word, glance, and motivation coming from a very real place. It’s this level of vulnerability that proves conclusively why acting is a far more difficult profession than many give it credit for.
The stellar acting from the all-Canadian cast alongside Catherine Lutes’ intimate available-light cinematography help keep the film afloat. What threatens to sink it at times is somewhat awkward expository dialogue which chafes against the film’s style plus the awkwardly rendered romance between Sam and Kate. Hillary Baack is a good 17 years older than Page and it shows, making any attempt at depicting them as contemporaries dubious at best. It’s also significantly less compelling than the family conflict plot thread which is unceremoniously abandoned with unconvincing punctuation.
Page and Savage have made a film that will resonate strongly with audiences who give it a chance, at least in its first half. Like many good ideas that aren’t properly developed, it leaves the audience feeling rather flat and unfulfilled at the end of its 100 minute runtime. It may play well at your local LGBTQ film festival, but general audiences may find themselves checking their watches long before Sam takes the Via Rail train back to Toronto.
6.5/10
Close to You opens theatrically across Canada on August 16