45/40
Julie is a star player at a top tennis academy. When her coach is investigated and suddenly suspended, all the players at the club are encouraged to speak out. But Julie decides to remain silent. Belgium’s official submission for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. One name stands out in the credits of this film: Naomi Osaka as executive producer. The tennis player has made no secret of the mental stress caused by playing at the top level. That’s what this film is about. It follows Julie, a promising teenage tennis player, as she copes with the aftermath of a scandal at her tennis club. She is not directly involved in the events, but she cannot escape them either. Even though those around her urge her to “talk about it”, she refuses, claiming that she has nothing to say. Julie seems to be a rather withdrawn girl, although she is popular with her friends. It’s not easy for the viewer to identify with a protagonist who doesn’t show any emotion. As a result, not much happens in the film. We see Julie working out, chatting with her friends and parents, walking her dog, and going to school. On the surface, her life is not very eventful. It’s up to the viewer to investigate what’s going on beneath the surface. We get hints and see her struggling, just like the people around her do. But everything is left unsaid, as the film’s title clearly suggests. The audience around me at the Ghent Film Festival looked disappointed, but not contemptuous. “I was hoping something would happen at the end,” the girl on my right remarked. “What was the point?” the woman on my left remarked. I think the director has deliberately left the answer to this question open. He hasn’t specified it, but has left it up to us to figure it out. If it makes sense, I think it could be that preparing young people for a highly competitive sporting environment should be done with the utmost care. I know, it doesn’t sound great, and it probably won’t stimulate large crowds to see this film. However, some filmmakers prefer quiet “slice of life” films to high-octane spectacles. Just ask the Dardenne brothers. They are also the producers of this film.
