Julie zwijgt

I'm on to these types of indie films which have a rapid fire sequence of mundane scenes. The director is simply trying to hide the fact that the plot is razor thin, and that is his attempt as well to keep the audience's attention.

This, Unfortunately, is a classic example of that.

That said, this was an okay watch.

Saw his at the Ghent 2024 filmfestival. Many scenes show tennis training and related, but not to the extent of being annoying, not even for someone (like me) who is not in sports, any sports. The issues shown are contemporary, and we see many similar cases on TV and in newspapers, varying from rumored via openly alleged to legally proven. What we also clearly see here, is that we never get to know what precisely happened, how far it went and how long it lasted, mostly due to privacy concerns for the accused as well as the victims.

The latter is my problem with this movie. When the final credits appeared, I still did not know what the real problem was. The word "stop" is used very often by Jeremy (the accused trainer), repeatedly emphasizing that he stopped as soon as Julie said she wanted him to stop. Is it thus a case of sexual harassment?? Remarkable is that Julie reacted heftily when she learned that Jeremy got a position as trainer on a different location (we recognize this "move" tactic within the church and sexual abuse cases). She also asked her newly appointed trainer whether he was prepared to keep working with her in the case that Jeremy would be reinstated on his old job.

Another unresolved topic is why Julie kept silent and refused to participate in the talking sessions organized by officials, who are obliged to do "something". Did she not want to reveal her reasons why she kept silent and stayed out of the pending investigation?? Or is it a mixture of feeling guilty that she was late with asking Jeremy to stop?? I can only guess what her considerations were. (Maybe I missed something and was it clear for everyone else watching the same movie.)

All in all, interesting for tennis lovers and equally for others who are interested in the main "me too" theme of this movie. The intermixed tennis training scenes are not dominating, neither are they distracting from the main issues. We see Julie in many scenes and many moods, while succeeding in keeping us fascinated with the developments in the story throughout the running time. The other young actors involved did a good job as well.

Watched this well-acted drama from Belgium. An incredibly touching and important subject. I don't want to reveal the plot for those who want to see the film. All the actors in the film did well and it almost felt like a documentary. Besides the fact that they spoke French, it was fun to hear Flemish, which is a language you don't hear very often. I think it's a film that should get more attention and more people should see it. I hope the film finds a larger audience.

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.

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'.