14/37
But Julie chooses to remain silent
Synopsis
Julie is a star player at an elite tennis academy. When her coach is investigated and suddenly suspended, all the players at the club are encouraged to speak out. Belgium’s official entry for the “Best International Feature Film” category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. In the credits of this film, one name stands out: that of Naomi Osaka as executive producer. The tennis player has made no secret of the mental stress caused by high-level matches.
That’s exactly what this film is about
It shows Julie, a promising teenage tennis player, dealing with the effects caused by a scandal at her tennis club. She is not directly involved in the events, but she also cannot escape them. Although those around her encourage her to “talk about it”, she refuses, insisting that there is nothing to say. Julie seems to be a rather withdrawn girl, although she is popular among her friends. For the viewer, it is not easy to identify with a protagonist who does not show her feelings.
As a result, not much happens in the film
We see Julie training, talking to 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 explore what’s going on beneath the surface. We get hints and see her struggling, as do the people around her. But everything remains implicit, as the film’s title clearly indicates.
“What exactly was the point?” a woman on my left commented
The audience around me at the Ghent Film Festival seemed disappointed but not dismissive. “I was hoping something would happen at the end,” the girl on my right commented. I think the director intentionally left the answer to that question open-ended. He didn’t spell it out, but left it for us to figure out. If there is a point, I think it might be that preparing young people for a highly competitive sports environment should be done with the utmost care.
Just ask the Dardenne brothers
I know, it doesn’t sound spectacular, and it probably won’t entice large crowds to see this film. But some filmmakers prefer quiet, slice-of-life films to high-octane spectacles. They are also producers of this film.