Wendy Ide 

Close to You review – Elliot Page struggles to bring transgender drama to life

Dominic Savage’s film about a man whose family do not understand his transition feels underpowered
  
  

closeup of Elliot Page in Close to You.
‘Well-intentioned’: Elliot Page in Close to You. Photograph: Publicity image

Sam (Elliot Page), a transgender man, returns to visit his family in small-town Ontario after a lengthy, self-imposed exile, in Dominic Savage’s well-intentioned but underpowered drama. Close to You, which feels loosely scripted and repetitive in a way that suggests an excessive dependence on improvisation, explores Sam’s pain as it becomes clear that his family members, despite their best intentions, struggle to understand his transition. And in a laboured subplot, Sam is repeatedly drawn back to connect with his schoolfriend and secret crush Katherine (Hillary Baack), who is now married. It’s clearly a passion project for Page, so why then does his performance feel so lifeless and inert?

  • In UK and Irish cinemas

Watch a trailer for Close to You.
 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*