Saturday, November 2, 2024

“JULIE KEEPS QUIET”

THE STORY – At an elite tennis academy, star player, Julie’s tennis coach falls under investigation and is suspended, all of the team players are encouraged to speak up, she remains quiet.

THE CAST – Tessa Van den Broeck, Ruth Becquart, Koen De Bouw, Claire Bodson & Laurent Caron

THE TEAM – Leonardo Van Dijil (Director/Writer) & Ruth Becquart (Writer)

THE RUNNING TIME – 97 minutes


Tennis and film seemingly go together well, whether it’s the electrifying “Challengers” or the thriller/romance “Match Point” to Alfred Hitchock’s tense “Strangers On A Train.” The narrative feature debut, “Julie Keeps Quiet,” from Belgian director Leonardo Van Dijil, plunges into the murkier side of the sport with a scandal rocking a prestigious Belgian Tennis academy following the suicide of one of its most promising students, Aline (Grace Biot). The film is a winning debut and has been selected as Belgium’s entry for the Academy Awards.

The vast majority of the film is set at the Academy, with dialogue spoken in both Flemish and French, lending a sense of authenticity with students shifting from French in class to Flemish in private. The decision to cast actual tennis players makes the tennis sequences feel grounded and believable. Julie (Tessa Van den Broeck) is one of the Academy’s brightest prospects, and she is on course to meet her dream of being selected by the Belgian Tennis Federation for their program. Van Den Broeck is a former tennis player herself, which lends a degree of realism to her performance you couldn’t get anywhere else; she undoubtedly has gone through some of the drills Julie goes through in the film and understands the stress and pressures placed upon the young women featured in the film who are giving this sport every fiber of their being.

As a debut performance, there is plenty of depth under her reserved persona as Julie learns her coach, Jérémy (Laurent Caron), has been suspended for his potential involvement in Aline’s suicide. This creates an uncomfortable atmosphere at the Academy as the staff ponders if they have done enough to ensure the well-being of the students has been safeguarded and nourished. There is rarely a point where Julie is not on screen, so there is an extra burden placed on the performance from Van den Broeck, making it all the more impressive. Julie has almost two personas, one for her classmates and a private, more reserved demeanor, and Van den Broeck finds a fine balance between the two.

A disquieting atmosphere lingers throughout the film’s tight 100 minutes, with frequent close-ups of Julie, her face a determined mask, hiding her true feelings, letting out her frustration during training sessions, adding to the sense of unease the audience effectively feels. With the emphasis so wholly on Julie and her response to events, the scandal, and its aftermath, there could perhaps have been more attention placed on her classmates and her relationships with them, but isolating Julie makes her anxiety all the more palpable. We don’t quite veer into the territory of something like “Whiplash,” but the buildup of tension is impressive nonetheless. The close-ups even make the tennis training sessions (something that could come across as quite mundane) highly tension-filled. The slow unveiling of the coercive and psychologically abusive nature of Jérémy and Aline’s relationship and how Julie processes it is one of the film’s strengths, helping us to sympathize with Julie as she gradually comes to terms with events. The silence and unspoken words between them are wholly believable in keeping with Julie’s persona as she looks to preserve her position at the Academy, but at what cost?

The gradual reveal of events surrounding the suicide and Jérémy’s involvement keeps the audience invested, building a powerful climax—which is wholly earned through the quality of the performances and direction. Julie is the audience’s central focus with Nicolas Karakatzanis’ gloomy cinematography, maximizing its blues and grays, highlighting her among her peers, and keeping her in view the majority of the time. The decision to keep Julie as the film’s focal point and never deviate from her perspective makes her feel even more isolated. Initially supportive of Jérémy, she gradually re-evaluates her own relationship with him. It strikes a good balance between an intimate, character-driven study with enough of a sense of distance for the drip feed of information to be powerfully effective.

“Julie Keeps Quiet” is an impressive debut feature for Leonardo Van Dijil with a strong central performance from Tessa Van den Broeck, on which much of the film rests. Van Dijil has certainly marked himself out as a director to watch, tackling complex themes about the abuse of power and the power dynamics between mentors and students. There are shades of “The Teachers Lounge” in building a tense atmosphere in a drama set mainly in one location involving relationships between staff and students. Overall, it is a taut, finely crafted film, where the audience is entrusted to fill in some of the story’s blanks, making for an engaging experience. Keeping the direction specifically on Julie’s body and headspace creates an intense sense of isolation, and it is here where “Julie Keeps Quiet” works best, as it offers plenty of signs of promise for its director and star.

THE RECAP

THE GOOD - The muted color palette, cinematography, and focus on Julie create a tense and isolating atmosphere.

THE BAD - Other characters away from Julie and life at the academy aren't given as much of a focus.

THE OSCAR PROSPECTS - Best International Feature

THE FINAL SCORE - 7/10

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<b>THE GOOD - </b>The muted color palette, cinematography, and focus on Julie create a tense and isolating atmosphere.<br><br> <b>THE BAD - </b>Other characters away from Julie and life at the academy aren't given as much of a focus.<br><br> <b>THE OSCAR PROSPECTS - </b><a href="/oscar-predictions-best-international-feature/">Best International Feature</a><br><br> <b>THE FINAL SCORE - </b>7/10<br><br>"JULIE KEEPS QUIET"