Close to You tells the story of Sam, a transgender man returning home to visit his family for the first time in nearly five years. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10, bringing audiences a piece about love, identity, and truth. The plot follows his struggle to reconnect with his immediate family, including three siblings and two parents, and his reconnection with an old flame.
This article contains spoilers for the movie ‘Close to You’
The main character is played by Canadian actor Elliot Page, who is familiar with the journey of his character, having come out as transgender himself in 2020. In addition to holding the leading role, Page also worked with director Dominic Savage as a producer on the piece. This familiarity with the complexities and nuances of coming out as transgender shines through in his performance and the plot, putting a spotlight on the struggle queer individuals experience to realize their truth while battling the opinions of others.
Close to You is visually beautiful, with much of the film set in the picturesque Ontario town of Cobourg, and captures stunning closeups of Sam and his love interest, Katherine (Hillary Baack). Whether set in bed or on the beach, intimate moments of the couple paint a picture of what could be if only the one that got away came back. In addition to this, I would argue that the plot lines that focus on Sam and his family are the ones that will make this a staple of queer culture.
Savage’s artistic style, which sees actors follow a script without dialogue, led to the cast filming takes that lasted up to 53 minutes, allowing actors to develop realistic conversations that paint a clear picture of the struggles in each relationship.
“As an actor you’re getting to experience the most beautiful sensation about acting but it doesn’t stop after a one minute take. You get to go deeper and deeper and deeper and pivoting with different moments you don’t expect,” Page told media while on the red carpet at the world premiere of the film.
“It’s like being on a ride. It was so exhilarating and hopefully with all of the dynamics of the family and the love story, the improv allows for that natural [journey of] being human.”
“[It’s] so authentic and so surprising. We were surprised every day with the stuff that came out,” Canadian actor Wendy Crewson, who plays Sam’s mother, told Now Toronto on the red carpet.
Throughout the movie, conversations between Sam, his mother and father (Peter Outerbridge) leave 2SLGBTQ+ audiences reminded of the heartache many have felt while seeking acceptance from family and friends during what can be a vulnerable time.
Crewson’s performance is particularly stellar, at times making it hard to remember that she is acting and not going through the motions of a real experience. She shared with Now Toronto that she pulled from her own real-life experience of supporting her own niece through her journey of coming out as transgender. This makes complete sense after witnessing her authentic depiction of this milestone. Crewson explained that her brother, who is a social worker, gave her a helpful example of how to play the loving, albeit concerned, mother in the film.
“I’ve seen how he has dealt with it over the years, and it’s love. It’s all love.”
Despite this, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Sam’s return home after half a decade impacts his confidence and mental health, something Page’s intense talent allows him to portray without excessive dialogue, through body language and facial expressions. Members of his family are all at different stages of coming to terms with his journey, and Sam does face backlash from a particular family member. While it would be nice for everyone to be on the same page, these scenes cause painful drama for the characters, which only adds to the realism of the piece.
With beautiful performances from actors such as Page and Crewson, Close to You is an emotional and heartfelt film full of Canadian talent that gives queer audiences a story that is all too familiar, while giving others a realistic portrayal of the nuances of coming out in the 21st century.
