Julie se tait

This is truly a little masterpiece, executed to perfection. Cinematography, acting, editing, setting and the sparse use of music -all combine seamlessly. It feels effortless, revealing just how much love and effort went into it. There is a natural blend of Flemish and French unseen in Belgian cinema. But this is exactly how kids talk in the affluent communities around Brussels. And yes, don't they all struggle with German.

This film is so delicate that even the verb in the title throws it off balance. Simply 'Julie' would suffice. And yet, each bounce of the tennis ball feels like the dynamite straight out of Clouzot's 'Wages of Fear'.

Before saying anything I would like to show my admiration to Tessa who played Julie in the movie because if this was acting I would be exaggerating if I said she definitely deserves to be nominated to the oscars, and I am not .truly I never saw an actor who made you feel the character like that. If she wasn't acting and this is here normally I would say she needs to see a therapist. All the cast was amazing which again leeds me to the director who made the movie seem to be a documentary the scenes the acting everything and the best thing making the viewer imagine and think which makes you like or not part of the movie itself.

In the credits of this film, one name stands out: that of Naomi Osaka as an executive producer. The tennis player has made no secret of the mental stress caused by top level match playing.

That's exactly what this film is about. It shows Julie, a promising teenage tennis player, coping with the effects caused by a scandal in her tennis club. She is not directly involved by the events, but she cannot escape them either. Although the people around her urge her to 'talk about it', she refuses, insisting there is nothing to say.

Julie seems to be a rather withdrawn girl, although she is popular with her friends. For the viewer, it is not easy to identify with a protagonist who doesn't show her feelings. The result is that not a lot happens in the film. We see Julie training, talking with her friends and parents, walking her dog, and going to school. On the surface, her life is not very eventful. It is up to the viewer to explore what's going on beneath the surface. We get indications, and we see her struggling, as the people around her do. But everything stays unspoken, as is clearly indicated by the title of the film.

Viewers around me at the Film Festival in Ghent, seemed dissapointed but not dismissive. "I was hoping something would happen at the end", the girl on my right side remarked. "What was exactly the point?", a woman to my left remarked.

I think the director has left the answer to that question intentionally open. He didn't spell it out, but has left it for us to discover. If there is a point, I think it could be that preparing young people for a very competitive sports environment should be done with ultimate care.

I know, that doesn't sound spectacular and it probably won't stimulate large crowds to see this film. But some film makers prefer quiet 'slice of life'-movies over high-octane spectacles. Just ask the Dardenne brothers. They are also producers of this film.

This is not a good movie. It's a nice enough story though. But the script could have used some tweaking. It's as if they had a few scenes in mind and then just worked around those. It has a few good scenes (the one with the confrontation in the cafe comes to mind) but that's not enough to keep this thing afloat.

The actors are all on top of their game. Especially, the young semi tennis pro that plays Julie. She really does her best with the material she's given. But that is also not enough. There are just too many questions left unanswered: What actually happened between Julie and Jeremy?

Why does she keep quiet? One minute she has a problem with the new trainer, the next she will only be trained by him (I mean, What the actual F..?) So, story wise, this is just a big FAIL!

But here comes my biggest problem with this movie. This director just doesn't know how to shoot a film!! The framing is just of and wrong. Lighting is non existing. There were shadows everywhere. In one scene you can only make out two silhouettes talking to each other. He never cuts in a scene between different subjects. It's as if, they only had one camera available. Now maybe (and I'm just guessing here), he thinks this brings peace and calm to his movie. But to me, it was just annoying as hell. And if you do decide to not have any cuts in your movie, then make sure to stay in a master shot and let us (the audience) glance and look where we want/need to. No, this director decides for himself, we don't need this information. So, in a lot of scenes, we see people talking to other people whose head is (half) cut of or you just can make out half of their faces. What are they teaching in film school nowadays??!!

Also, was this movie shot on an Iphone??!! When I saw that Nicolas Karakatsanis was DOP on this, my mouth fell to the ground! He really phoned (pun intended) this one in. Sometimes, it was just unwatchable.

For me, all of this comes down to one of 2 things: Either this director doesn't master the basis of film making, or he just doesn't care.

Maybe he just wants to tell his stories. And that's fine. But film is a visual medium. And it just was mishandled here. And I, as a paying customer, want more.

The movie follows Julie, an up-and-coming tennis talent, as she navigates the complex emotions surrounding her relationship with her coach, who has suddenly been placed on non-active status after his previous prodigy's tragic suicide.

The opening scene beautifully sets the tone, with Julie practicing against an invisible opponent without a ball-an early metaphor for the invisible, internal battle she's fighting. This visual motif hints at her isolation and inner turmoil, drawing the viewer in with an eerie quietness. As soon as she receives a call informing her that her coach won't be there, you sense that something is off, and that feeling persists throughout the film.

One of the film's greatest strengths is its respect for the audience's intelligence. It gives us the time and silence to process what might have happened and fill in the blanks on our own, rather than spoon-feeding us every detail from A to Z. This approach heightens the tension, which remains loose for most of the film, in sharp contrast to the scenes where Julie comes into contact with her previous coach. Her mobile phone becomes a kind of Trojan horse, introducing dread into even her safest spaces, like her own bedroom. Although her parents create a safe environment and don't push her to open up, every time her phone is visible, it evokes a knot in the viewer's stomach.

The movie skillfully keeps its audience in suspense. It doesn't immediately reveal the details of what transpired between Julie and her coach, but the weight of the mystery is felt in every scene. Julie's refusal to speak about what happened, despite clear signs of trauma, speaks volumes, and the film handles this silence with both tension and sensitivity.

A beautiful arc emerges as the distance between Julie and her old coach grows. We see her smile more, and it's genuinely heartwarming to witness her gradual emotional recovery. It's especially impressive how the lead actress, at such a young age, conveys Julie's internal struggle without needing to spell it out. The nuances in her performance make her journey feel authentic.

As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that Julie Keeps Quiet isn't so much about what happened to her in the past, but rather about Julie slowly rediscovering herself after enduring trauma. This shift in focus is both subtle and powerful, allowing the film to deliver a more profound message about resilience and self-recovery.