Films about family conflicts often touch on a sore spot. When it comes to sexual identity, the tension can often become even greater. Near you shows a trans man returning home after years away, with his family and the people in his hometown behaving in all sorts of ways. This is the stuff of an emotionally devastating film. Unfortunately, here we are presented with a version of the story that never reaches that level. You feel for our protagonist, but the film can’t keep up with him throughout.
Near you has a really good lead actress at its core. That much is undeniable. However, the decision to leave most of this drama’s dialogue improvised makes everything seem smaller and less insightful than it would have been otherwise. You want big emotions and big feelings here, but the film opts for a style that ultimately keeps you more at a distance than you would hope.
Sam (Elliot Page) is a trans man living in Toronto. We quickly learn that he is debating whether or not to return to his hometown for his father’s birthday. Eventually he decides to go home and sees Katherine (Hillary Baack) on the train, who used to be his best friend. This reunion is clearly a sign of joy, but it also speaks of the pain of their past, which they play around with in their conversations and glances.
At home near Lake Ontario, Sam has to live with his parents Miriam (Wendy Crewson) and Jim (Peter Outerbridge), as well as his siblings Kate (Janet Porter), Megan (Alex Paxton-Beesley) and Michael (Daniel Maslany). They’re certainly happy to see him, but their questions are all provocative in one way or another. The more they interact, the more tense and upset Sam becomes, until an argument is almost inevitable.
Elliot Page is the highlight here, giving his all in a role that clearly means everything to him. Page has always been a performer with a soulful personality, but this is work of the highest order. It’s not that everyone else around him is bad, quite the opposite, it’s just that Page is so much better and is so much the heart and soul of the film that you can really just focus on that performance. The supporting cast includes the aforementioned Hillary Baack, Wendy Crewson, Daniel Maslany, Peter Outerbridge, Alex Paxton-Beesley and Janet Porter, as well as David Realeand other.
Filmmaker Dominic Savage doesn’t do enough to make the improvisational nature of the story feel cinematic. Savage and Page co-wrote the script, such as it is (it’s essentially a sketch for the cast, Page included, of course), and there are obviously deeply emotional moments, but Savage’s direction is too simplistic. The improvisation never reveals anything particularly compelling, so one is left with only good intentions and a desire to tell a story that resonates, just without the tools of the craft to Near you convincing from moment to moment.
Near you Either the film needed to have more cinematic and narrative drama, or it needed to rely more heavily on improvisation. As it is, Elliot Page is excellent, but aside from that central performance, everything else is pretty forgettable. The heart of the film is clearly in the right place. However, the execution just isn’t quite up to par. Unfortunately.
RESULT: ★★1/2
