From Jeremy Kibler

There are no politics or sledgehammer message to drive home in writer-director Dominic Savage’s Close to You, a story that’s simply about a human being finally baring their truth and feeling like their true self. As it should be. It’s also an opportunity for Elliot Page to reintroduce himself in film with this quietly observed indie drama about one trans-queer person’s experience, where both pain and joy exist. Unfortunately—somewhat—half of it feels authentic and generous, and the other half ends up feeling thin and wedged-in. 

Page plays Sam, a transgender man who’s been living in Toronto. He hasn’t been home in four years since he transitioned, but Sam is about to see his family for his dad’s birthday. During his train ride to his hometown on Lake Ontario, Sam sees an old friend, Katherine (Hillary Baack), his first love whom he hasn’t seen since high school. This brings back so many unresolved feelings, and that’s before seeing the family.

Dominic Savage writes and directs the film, but having collaborated on the story with Elliot Page, this truly feels like Page’s story to tell. In its most effective moments, Close to You has the raw, intimate, sometimes tense authenticity of Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married. The homestead scenes, as natural to life but anxiety-ridden and fraught as they can be, are riveting without becoming an Afterschool Special. Warm, poignant, or prickly conversations with each of Sam’s family members keep one leaning in, holding on to every word. His siblings are glad to see him and want to catch up. Sam’s mom (the always-great-to-see Wendy Crewson) may slip with the pronouns, but she loves her son and is so happy to have him home. His father (Peter Outerbridge) is loving as well and expresses how he had a hard time not adjusting to his son’s transition but to his son leaving the nest. But there is an assholish brother-in-law (David Reale aka Glenn Coco from Mean Girls) who has a spiky, passive-aggressive private conversation with Sam and then gets even more vocal about not understanding “the rules.” Even as things escalate, Savage’s improvisational approach really does allow the familial situation to play out in a bracingly honest, fly-on-the-wall sort of way. 

In an already-terrific career, Page is his naturalistic self as Sam, but even more achingly real. Hillary Baack has a lovely way about her as Katherine (who is deaf, like the actress of course, and that is never commented upon), and it’s a nice sentiment that two people can reconnect and rekindle feelings after 20 years. On the other hand, their relationship never quite connects with the rest of the film, and this is the half of the film that never gels. First things first, Katherine is happily married with two kids. Why doesn’t Sam seem to care about this boundary? Sure, he wants to meet Katherine’s kids, but the husband is glossed over. Not to mention, Sam and Katherine’s wistful scenes together, walking along the beach, are edited in such a way with the family dynamics to make it seem disjointed.

While it’s not a perfect film, Close to You is still well worth seeing. It’s full of unvarnished truth and made with the best of intentions, and it should hopefully open others’ eyes to human acceptance.

Rating: 3/5

Close to You is currently in select theaters. 

Follow Jeremy