For the first several minutes of Dominic Savage’s Close to You, there is little to no dialogue as we are introduced to Elliot Page’s character, Sam. In a modest room he rents in Toronto, Sam wakes up and gets ready for a day that will be emotionally challenging.
Though the upcoming day promises to be tough, the initial moments feel like a breath of fresh air. Sam moves through his morning routine with a sense of quiet reflection. He prepares toast, smothering it with a generous amount of jam, later joking that the amount of jam is a symbol of his mental state.
The scene is a blend of humor and quiet pain, played perfectly by Page. Even though we are just meeting Sam, these brief moments reveal a lot about his character. This sequence is patient, letting Sam’s anxiety surface gently as we realize that he is about to reunite with his family for the first time since transitioning.
The weight of this reunion lingers over the scene, but there is a certain promise that things may go well. It’s unfortunate, then, that much of what follows loses this careful subtlety.
As soon as Sam steps into his childhood home after traveling from Toronto to Cobourg by train, the tension begins to build. The moment he enters, the discomfort from his family is evident, and even the family members who mean well seem to need something from him.
Some want forgiveness for not supporting him during his hardest times and for the mistakes they continue to make. Others want an explanation for why he left and why he has become who he is today. None of this is something Sam owes them, yet they continue to impose their emotional baggage on him.
As the family’s expectations weigh heavily on Sam, the entire dynamic becomes exhausting. All Sam wants is to attend his father’s birthday as his true self, but everyone else keeps pulling him into their issues.
Moving through different rooms in the house, there is no escape for Sam from the discomfort and emotional demands of those around him. At one point, Sam enters the kitchen, only to be confronted by his sister’s unpleasant husband.
He seizes this moment to corner Sam with questions out of nowhere. When Sam tries to join the family for dinner, the same man follows him and continues to bother him with his intrusive questions. If this sounds repetitive, it’s because it is — much of the film’s runtime revolves around similar interactions.
Page’s Performance Gets Lost in the Shuffle of ‘Close to You’
Despite the film’s structural flaws, there is an underlying intention behind what Savage is trying to do. He seeks to show how indifferent and self-absorbed some cis people can be when dealing with a trans person simply trying to live their life.
Unfortunately, this message is conveyed with such bluntness that it becomes overwhelming, not just for Sam but for the audience as well. While we are supposed to feel Sam’s discomfort, it often feels like the film is drowning in it.
As Sam continually puts his own needs aside to deal with others, we lose sight of who Sam truly is. Even when family members express concern for Sam’s well-being, their words often feel hollow, more focused on their own issues than on him.
This is undoubtedly intentional, as the story revolves around this dynamic, but Savage doesn’t explore much else in terms of narrative depth. A film that focuses entirely on Sam facing the weight of others’ expectations could have been impactful, but here, it feels one-dimensional as Sam becomes engulfed by their demands.
When the scenes are filmed with a roaming camera that frequently disrupts the flow, what could have been an engaging improvisational approach instead feels aimless and chaotic.
These techniques take away from moments that might otherwise offer emotional insight. The film misses the opportunity to create a more nuanced portrayal of Sam’s internal struggles, opting instead for a constant focus on external conflict.
However, the film does contain a saving grace in the form of a subplot that feels far more emotionally rich than the main story. Early in the film, Sam reconnects with someone he knew from high school while on the train to Cobourg.
Without giving away too many details to preserve the most emotionally powerful part of the film, there is an immediate connection between them. Their interactions, often without words, convey far more emotion than the family scenes ever do.
Every time the film shifts its focus away from the family and onto this relationship, whether on a beach or in a café, it feels like the story is finally starting to resonate on a deeper level. Unfortunately, these moments are brief, as the film continually pulls us back into the house and the same repetitive conversations with the family.
Even when the family patriarch delivers a speech that is meant to bring an end to the disrespect Sam has endured, it comes too late in the story and feels too rushed to carry much weight. The film eventually circles back to the same themes, making these small moments of respite from the central conflict all the more precious.
‘Close to You’ Remains Too Confined a Film
Throughout the film’s uneven and sometimes frustrating experience, Elliot Page remains its greatest strength. Page brings a sense of vulnerability and authenticity to the role that is both heartbreaking and uplifting. Every small movement, every gesture that Page makes adds depth to the film that the narrative itself often fails to capture.
Page’s performance is the one element that transcends the limitations of the repetitive and clunky conversations that dominate much of the film. When the noise of the family conflict fades away, there are fleeting moments where the film begins to feel reflective and meaningful.
In these quiet scenes, we can sense a more profound and emotional depth that the film could have explored further.
Had the film allowed more time for these moments, it could have delivered a more complete and impactful emotional experience. Sadly, these moments are too few and far between, and what remains is a sense of disappointment over what the film could have achieved.
Close to You is now showing in theaters in the U.S. starting August 16
