47/30
Julie is a star of a top tennis academy. When his coach is investigated and suddenly suspended, all the players of the club are encouraged to speak out. Julie, however, prefers to remain silent. Official search in Belgium for “best international feature film” In the 97th Oscar category in 2025. Among the titles of this film, one name stands out: Naomi Osaka as executive producer. The tennis player did not hide the mental stress caused by the matches at the highest level. This is exactly what this film is about. It presents Julie, a promising teenage tennis player, dealing with the aftermath of a scandal at her tennis club. He is not directly involved in the events, but he cannot escape them. Although his surroundings urge him to “talk about it”, he refuses, claiming that he has nothing to say. Julie seems to be a rather withdrawn girl, although she is popular among her friends. It is not easy for the viewer to identify with the main character, who does not show emotions. As a result, not much happens in the film. We see Julie exercising, talking to her friends and parents, walking her dog and going to school. On the surface, his life is not very eventful. The viewer is tasked with investigating what is going on beneath the surface. We are given clues and we see him struggling, as are those around him. But everything is left unsaid, as the film’s title clearly indicates. 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 that about?” the woman on my left remarked. I think the director deliberately left the answer to this question open. He didn’t explain it in detail, but left it for us to ponder. If that makes sense, I think that preparing young people for a highly competitive sports environment should be done with great care. I know, it doesn’t sound great and probably won’t get large crowds to see this film. But some filmmakers prefer quiet “slices of life” to high-octane glasses. Just ask the Dardenne brothers. They are also producers of this film.