Although the film isn’t meant to be autobiographical, it probably comes as no surprise that Close to You star/producer Elliot Page has a “Story by” credit for this small and delicate tale of a transgender man named Sam (Page), who takes the journey from his life in Toronto to his hometown of Lake Ontario on the occasion of his father’s birthday. Sam is happy, doing reasonably well, living in a rented room in a friend’s house, but he hasn’t been home in nearly five years. We don’t get a sense that there was some big blowup when Sam came out or that anyone in his family rejected him, but it is clear that Sam had been in a lot of pain leading up to that moment and needed a change of venue to start the next part of his life.
While we anticipate more of a family drama from this film, the train trip home unlocks another significant thread to this story. Sam runs into Katherine (deaf actor Hillary Baack, Sound of Metal), his closest friend from high school. It’s intimated that the two had a relationship in their teens, but now Katherine is married with two kids. Seeing Sam again stirs up long-buried feelings in Katherine about a first love that left many elements unresolved, and how perhaps her current life isn’t quite what she thought it would be. When they part at the train station, we assume that’s the first of many uncomfortable conversations Sam is going to have on this journey, but writer/director Dominic Savage ends up following Katherine a bit longer, and we begin to realize we haven’t seen the last of her.
Sam heads home, and is met by a warm and loving family, who struggle not to burden Sam with feelings that he abandoned them and their general worries for his well-being. In turn, Sam wonders why his family wasn’t worried about hem when he was truly struggling as a teenager, but he attempts to hold back judgment because he can see everyone is trying so hard. Early in the film, Sam tells his roommate that he has trouble communicating with family members because they act like they should get a prize for being able to handle Sam’s transition, and we see a bit of that play out. But mostly, his siblings are the best at rebuilding bridges with Sam, while his parents, Jim and Miriam (Peter Outerbridge and Wendy Crewson), have their own ways of adjusting. Mom means well but can’t help but tell Sam she “misses her little girl.” Dad has a more practical way of handling things and cares more about keeping his family together than anything else.
Trouble comes when Sam’s brother-in-law Paul (David Reale) drinks a bit and starts in with what are clearly transphobic comments and questions, couched as “brutal honesty” and “looking out” for his wife, Sam’s sister, who has no issues looking out for herself. Sam’s reaction to Paul's bigotry is immediate and biting and gives Page some of his best acting moments in the film. This is Page’s first feature film in a male role, and it’s clear he’s drawing heavily from personal experience in every scene of Close to You. The moments with the family, one-on-one or as a group, are the film’s finest, but I was especially moved by two poignant scenes with the individual parents, especially one in which Sam's dad pours his heart out to his son about the early days of his transition.
Conversely, the moments with Sam and Katherine are less assured, and I found myself wishing I knew more about her past with Sam and whether she’s actually considering an upheaval in her life to live out a childhood love. Page plays Sam as extremely guarded, to the point where he walks into a home and doesn’t take his coat or hat off, as if he doesn’t anticipate staying long. It’s tough for us as audience members to feel close to Sam under these circumstances, but perhaps that’s the point. As individual family members each have their time with Sam, hugs are handed out, and some have more successful interactions than others. But Sam’s goal is to be treated like a human being and not something to be observed, evaluated, and considered like a lab rat.
Page has always been an actor who reveals himself in small, telling doses, and that serves this character perfectly as Sam is cautious, considerate, and slow to open up his new self to those who knew him when. Close to You has its flaws, but what it gets right opens up a world to us in a way that never feels exploitative or trite. Nor does it try to say that this is how all trans people live or cope or express themselves. It's simply one person’s intimate story, told compassionately and honestly.
The film is now playing in theaters.
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