JULIE KEEPS QUIET
Belgium, 2024, 100 minutes, Colour.
Tessa Van den Broek, Grace Biot, Noah Leclloux, Claire Bodson, Pierre Gervais..
Directed by Leonardo Van Dijl.
A significantly topical theme.
In recent years, issues have been raised about the relationship between sports coaches and their athletes, especially inappropriate behaviour, even harassment and abuse. This film takes of this theme in the context of a high school and specialist training for a tennis star.
The duly of the title is a teenager, working hard at school, popular with the other students, conscientious about her work. She is completely dedicated to tennis, training and exercise, with hopes for future selection. However, she has her quiet and taciturn moments.
The film has a great number of tennis sequences, tennis practice, exercises, immersing the audience in Julie’s world of horizons.
But, an investigation has been raised about her former coach. There are meetings with the head of the Department, discussions with her parents, but Julie being reticent. She also meets up with the former coach with there is the revelation as he explains to her that he stopped when she asked him to stop.
There is tension with the new coach, her wariness, but a gradual acceptance of him. There is the complication that one of her previous coaches students committed suicide.
This is a film of the emotions and talk rather than any explicit sequences of flashbacks, focusing on the investigation, the behaviour of the coach, the response of the students and the effect on Julie.
- The topical theme? Athletes, trainers, relationships, behaviour, harassment, abuse? The Belgian setting, universal? The school, classrooms, the tennis courts, practice, competition? Classes, schoolfriends, travel for tournaments? The tennis atmosphere?
- The significance of tennis, the impact for tennis fans, non-tennis fans, the initial practice, the focus on Julie, the ball, her returns, serving, multi-courts and the players, the coaches, the spectators, in the background of physical exercises – even to the final credits and Julie’s final push-ups and at rest? The musical score?
- Julie, her age, seeing her first tennis, sing her with her parents, her father support, the role of Jeremy, his coaching her, encouragement, his seeing her talent and possibilities, his withdrawal, the discussions with the head, the issues of the investigation, her seeming to ignore them, her clashes with the new coach, gradually accepting him, his highlighting her with the others, her serve? The trouble to the tournament, successful, the relationship with the other students? In as and her rich family and demanding refunds? Laura and the confidentiality? And the story of the suicide and suspicions concerning Jeremy?
- The management, the meetings, the discussions, the investigation, Jeremy suspended?
- Julie meeting with Jeremy, her relying on him, his skill in coaching, his ambitions for her, the details of advice, the revelation of the relationship and his stating that he stopped when Julie asked him to stop? The repercussions of this experience for her? And the story of Aileen, her promise, Jeremy, her death?
- The portrait of the youngsters, in class, tennis, their friendships, discussions?
- The title, the focus on the victim, not wanting to communicate, self-isolation? And the need for further steps?
