I didn't know the script for Close to You was extensively improvised by the actors until after I watched it but it made so much sense in how real it all felt. The scenes had an unscripted authenticity to them that had all the awkwardness and honesty of real conversations without the poetic posturing of many screenplays. I'm not saying I don't enjoy wittily crafted dialogue but Close to You just felt so raw and so realistic I was sweating during some scenes.
This is a testament to the incredible cast headed by Page who gives one of the best performances of the year. Anyone connected to a trans person will recognize many of the moments in conversation that often come up and this film captures so much pent up emotional trauma from well meaning cis people. I was breathless in certain moments as the nerves were struck so credibly.
Another strength of this truly impressive script is how it doesn't hold our hands and tell us exactly what is happening at every moment. There is a significant portion that could be perhaps fantasy, perhaps dream, but also credibly real. The film doesn't give us an answer, nor does it tell every moment chronologically. Instead it allows us to feel its moments... moment to moment. And that makes it end up feeling even more satisfying than it might have told more traditionally.
Close to You is the sort of passion project that audiences are lucky to get from such creative talent.
Close to You
Starring: Elliot Page, Hilary Baack, Peter Outerbridge, Wendy Crewson, David Reale
Writer/Director: Dominic Savage
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