Close to You

Wow, talk about lookin' shredded like a Julienne Salad! Elliot Page has been puttin' in some work. Okay, so the movie isn't the greatest, but it certainly deserves a much higher rating than a 4.6. It's an independent film with some good performances with lots of improvised dialogue-and has won a few well deserved awards. On Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 55 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10 where it should be. The website's consensus reads: "A passion project for Elliot Page that benefits from his naturalism." So, what's with all the low ratings? Give it a shot, it gets better as it progresses.

Don't believe the overall rating, most of the 1 star reviews must be from transphobic viewers. This is a brilliantly acted, very moving movie. They don't attempt to idealize a lifestyle or make it look picture perfect. It's raw it's gritty and it very beautifully done. I'm so impressed by the entire cast, they provide a perspective from many different view points. If you can watch this with someone queer in your life, it might help you connect to them better. Elliot Page deserved much more praise for this role, I hope his star continues to grow. I think it's a must watch for families going through similar things.

It's a trans child negotiating his family relationship drama set over several days in present-day Toronto and Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. Sam (Elliot Page) is a trans male who transitioned from female, probably in his early 20s. He lives and works in Toronto and rooms in a house owned by Emily (Sook-Yin Lee). Sam has not seen his family for five years. Still, he has decided to go home to Cobourg, 95 kilometers east of Toronto along Lake Ontario, to help celebrate his father Jim's (Peter Outerbridge) birthday with the rest of the family.

The movie follows Sam's train ride to Cobourg, on which he meets his old high school flame, Katherine (Hillary Baack), who is now married with children in Cobourg. Two parallel stories unfold, one follows Sam's encounters with his family, including his mother (Wendy Crewson), two sisters (Janet Porter and Alex Paxton-Beesley), brother, Michael (Daniel Maslany), and the two sisters' partners (Andrew Bushell and David Reale). The second follows Sam's efforts to reconnect with Katherine.

"Close to You" is dark and filled with uncomfortable conversations. Sam's relationships with different family members vary and end in crisis. The yearning for understanding and acceptance amidst discomfort is powerfully portrayed. Sam's relationship with Katherine is also complex and is not as well explored, partly because she is deaf. That story leaves many unanswered questions. The film's cinematography is intimate and doesn't always work, sometimes feeling like it drags. Elliot Page is outstanding. My ears had trouble understanding Hillary Baack at times. The various Cobourg family members' characterizations are well-done and varied.

"Close to You" gets an extra point for an insightful portrayal of a challenging subject.

Sam has left home - the small town of Coburg - moved to Toronto, and has transitioned from female to male. He now takes a trip home - the 1st in 4 years. On the train, he happens to meet Katherine, his best friend from high school.

The reason for the return is his father's birthday party, which allows the writers to populate the family with a selection of attitudes about the transition. His father is mostly relieved that Sam has found himself, and is no longer in pain. His mother will always remember him as her little girl, consistently misgenders him (not necessarily maliciously), and is concerned about his well-being, compared to his sister who stayed in Coburg and got married. His sister wonders why he never confided in her, when they shared a bedroom growing up. And his brother-in-law is transphobic.

Escaping the family, Sam seeks solace with Katherine.

This is a Elliot Page vehicle, inspired by his life. The direction allows him to casually show off his boy bod. This answers the question "where are they now"? However, after this autobiographical-inspired story, I am wondering what other projects he will appear in.

Using available-light photography lost one star by me. Too often, the subjects were shot with a background of a bright window, making it to hard to see facial expressions.

This piece is such an important milestone for the trans community. Those who claim the plot has left something to be desired have a fundamental misunderstanding of the point: the lived experience of a trans person. Anyone who has transitioned (or has wanted to and decided not to) will understand what this film was truly about. It will hit home in a way no other media can. We are all different, but our shared experiences bond us all together. The pain of a family who doesn't understand, who lay their own struggles with your identity at your feet and expect you to comfort them. The longing to be seen as who you really are, and the unprecedented joy you experience when someone you love finally does. The knife in your gut when you get misgendered. The strange sensation of being back in a place that has only ever known the old "you".

I can understand how someone who hasn't lived this would not be able to pick up on the emotional nuance. However, it's disappointing to see how low this rating is because too many people who can't comprehend it have weighed in. This feels like a classic turn of events in the trans (and queer) community. So grateful to Elliot and the team who made this.