Close to You was on my TIFF 2023 list the second I saw Elliot Page. The more I learned about the film, the more intrigued I was. With an outline conceptualized by Elliot Page and director Dominic Savage but no actual script, the film was improvised, with some takes lasting as long as 53 minutes. This process didn’t create a flawless film, but Close to You felt extremely intimate and real.
Elliot Page plays Sam, a transgendered man who has avoided going home to his small town and family for five years. Though they support his transition, part of the hesitation in going home isn’t about that. It’s about the responsibility of comforting others regarding his transition. It’s about worrying about what they truly think on the inside and what they say to their friends rather than what they display outright.
Home for his father’s birthday, Sam runs into an old friend, Katherine (Hilary Baack) and spends time with his parents, siblings and their partners. The moment Sam sees Katherine on the train, it is like he freezes in time. The moments between them are intense throughout the film, even though the exact details of their history aren’t really revealed. Bit by bit, we learn more and more, but it still feels purposefully vague, and I think it is best that way.
Dialogue between characters in Close to You is clumsy in every scene, and this is intentional. Normally, when people think improv, they think comedy. For comedy, you have to let each other finish, or the jokes never land. Close to You is full of tension, biting words and painful moments. Without a script, these conversations get heated, or nerves come into play. This means characters are cutting each other off, talking over each other and repeating themselves. That’s the beauty of it. Even though they are playing characters, we are watching real moments.
“Close to You felt extremely intimate and real.”
When we see Sam talk with his sister, they reminisce about their childhood and catch up on their lives. It feels like the one genuine conversation Sam has with a sibling. I love not only seeing queer characters in film but hearing non-conventional relationship choices like non-monogamy come into casual conversation without completely negative reactions is refreshing. I’ve noticed it has been more and more common at this year’s TIFF without these things needing to be big reveals or plot points (aside from North Star), and I’m here for it!
Director Dominic Savage made some excellent choices when it comes to the use of sound to drive home specific feelings, especially when there was little to no dialogue. In the beginning, Sam appears alone, dressing in front of the window almost silently, and we immediately know he feels isolated. Sam sees Katherine outside the bus station, and while he is staring at her from a distance, we hear the trains roaring loudly as all the memories flood back.
Obviously, Close to You is tackling some tense topics, but I think the cast and Savage managed to perfectly encapsulate many of the ways people express their prejudice, even when it isn’t from a place of hate. His mother is the one who requires consoling herself. One sister seems genuine but still assumes some stereotypes, and her new boyfriend seems lovely and the comic relief.
“Close to You will seem clumsy to many, but for me, it felt like a look at real life where people aren’t so polished and scripted.”
But then we have the brother-in-law, and I can’t imagine how uncomfortable that role must have been. This character is the one who is meant to be truly homophobic, asking what the rules are and completely disrespecting Sam at every turn. His words are careless and cruel, and we watch a room full of people just let it go. Since the script is improvised, I can’t imagine how it felt to have to say those things on the spot or for other cast members to hear them, really. This process makes for real tension, and knowing that while watching made it all the more brutal at times.
Sam’s father in Close to You was really beautiful to watch grow. Stereotypically, you assume the father will be the one to have the hardest time with a child transitioning, but that wasn’t the case here. He had several monologues, one with Sam privately and one in front of the family, particularly that brought me to tears.
He spoke about Sam before he transitioned, thinking he would find him dead somewhere because of how truly destroyed and unhappy he was and just how grateful he is for this transition because brought him back to life. He spoke to the family about how he thought he got his son back and how they were ruining it because of their own bigotry. But even in all he says that is perfect, he still lets Sam down by asking him to be the bigger person, to let go of all the family has said. Even allies aren’t always right.
My only real gripe is with the ending of Close to You, which I won’t spoil. I feel that they were trying to show that we are all inherently flawed, but for me, it was just continuing the chain of hurting people and ruining families. Choices were made that undid character growth and made it hard for me to sympathize with them in the end.
Maybe I’m a sucker for a feel-good ending, and to some, this may be one, but for me, it missed the mark. Close to You will seem clumsy to many, but for me, it felt like a look at real life where people aren’t so polished and scripted. Close to You was not my favourite film of TIFF 2023, but it was certainly a memorable one.
