Close to You is stark with vulnerability, living within the vacuum of anxiety from the personal perspective of a trans man.

Sam (Elliot Page) builds up the confidence to make the short trek from Toronto to Cobourg to celebrate his father’s birthday with family.  Sam’s family knows of his transition, but most attending the party for dad (Peter Outerbridge of Honey Bee) have not seen Sam in a while.  Aside from receiving the cold shoulder from future brother-in-law Paul (David Reale), Sam is welcomed by all with open arms.  Each sibling has a teary one-on-one with the wayward Torontonian, and mom (Backspot’s Wendy Crewson) can’t stop hugging him – especially when she accidentally misgenders Sam.

While the conversations fall into a structural formula, they hold special moments that symbolize growth and the passage of time even if the past is melancholic.  Sam’s sister Kate (Janet Porter) recalls sharing a bedroom with him, which turns into reflecting doubt and apologies that she truly didn’t know who Sam really was.  Another powerful chat is between Outerbridge and Page in dad’s study.  He explains to his son how often he worries about Sam’s wellbeing in Toronto but, also, how one of the worst feelings is seeing your child sad.  A climactic discussion involving Paul provoking Sam with questions about “rules” and how the family should behave finally proves that Sam’s apprehensions about the visit were not over speculations.

Using improvisation with considerate character work, Close to You creates one of the most natural films an audience will ever experience.  The camerawork moves freely within closed spaces as director Dominic Savage and his cast orchestrate conversations that expose raw emotions that circle around topics of discussing and accepting identity.  That said, Close to You can also wash over movie goers in relaxing ways.  When we watch Sam wander his streets of Toronto and reacquaint himself with his hometown of Cobourg (as we listen to the film’s beautiful score), these introspective scenes are soothing.  A scene towards the end featuring Sam reclaiming his independence in solitude on a swing is satisfying.  The shot blends Sam’s adolescence and adulthood, and would’ve made a great closer for Close to You.

A subplot involving Sam and a former friend, Katherine (Sound of Metal’s Hilary Baack) keeps pushing forward, however.  The re-connection these two experience on the train to Cobourg is bittersweet, and it’s maintained nicely throughout the story.  But towards the end of Close to You, Savage has plenty of scenes to end this storyline on hopeful notes and, instead, he gambles by elaborating on this relationship.  The payoff only exists to bookend the movie on a contrasting upbeat note that’s too obvious for this modest drama.

**********

Do You Tweet? Follow These Tweeple:

Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie