Julie Keeps Quiet (2024)

Julie Keeps Quiet (2024). 1h 40m

“In the credits of this film, one name stands out: that of Naomi Osaka as an executive producer. The tennis player has made no secret of the mental stress caused by top level match playing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThatu0026#39;s exactly what this film is about. It shows Julie, a promising teenage tennis player, coping with the effects caused by a scandal in her tennis club. She is not directly involved by the events, but she cannot escape them either. Although the people around her urge her to u0026#39;talk about itu0026#39;, she refuses, insisting there is nothing to say.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJulie seems to be a rather withdrawn girl, although she is popular with her friends. For the viewer, it is not easy to identify with a protagonist who doesnu0026#39;t show her feelings. The result is that not a lot happens in the film. We see Julie training, talking with her friends and parents, walking her dog, and going to school. On the surface, her life is not very eventful. It is up to the viewer to explore whatu0026#39;s going on beneath the surface. We get indications, and we see her struggling, as the people around her do. But everything stays unspoken, as is clearly indicated by the title of the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eViewers around me at the Film Festival in Ghent, seemed dissapointed but not dismissive. u0026quot;I was hoping something would happen at the endu0026quot;, the girl on my right side remarked. u0026quot;What was exactly the point?u0026quot;, a woman to my left remarked.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI think the director has left the answer to that question intentionally open. He didnu0026#39;t spell it out, but has left it for us to discover. If there is a point, I think it could be that preparing young people for a very competitive sports environment should be done with ultimate care.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI know, that doesnu0026#39;t sound spectacular and it probably wonu0026#39;t stimulate large crowds to see this film. But some film makers prefer quiet u0026#39;slice of lifeu0026#39;-movies over high-octane spectacles. Just ask the Dardenne brothers. They are also producers of this film.”