Your
guide in English to films showing in Germany.
Opening 24 Apr 2025
Directed by:
Leonardo Van Dijl
Writing credits:
Ruth Becquart, Leonardo Van Dijl
Principal actors:
Tessa Van den Broeck, Grace Biot, Alyssa Lorette, Noah Lecloux, Luca de Maar
To what extent are we willing to stay silent to keep the status quo in the face of abuse of power? Is suffering in silence the more courageous act, or is disclosing the reality harder? Last but not least, what might drive a victim’s decision, if at all, to break the silence? These are the questions with which the movie Julie Keeps Quiet confronts the viewer.
The setting is an elite tennis academy, and the leading actress, Julie (Tessa Van den Broeck), is an exceptionally promising fifteen-year-old tennis player. Her quiet determination is evident in the opening scene, where she is shown practicing alone on a tennis court perfecting her serves and shadowing groundstrokes. A few moments later, the news gets out that Julie and her teammates’ coach got suspended due to an impending investigation for abusive conduct. Julie is understandably unsettled but remains determined to achieve her dream of making it to the national tennis team.
As the movie goes on, we witness how Julie navigates the oft fragile relationship between resilience and vulnerability. What transpires is a powerful reflection into the price aspiring young players in the world of professional sports might be paying for success. While psychological control is evident in the narrative, the viewer is spared the details of what exactly has happened. Leaving the details open serves as a refreshingly innovative way for the filmmaker to depict the gravity of the situation for Julie, as well as underlining the taboo nature of abuse.
Having tennis as the theme is well suited to this movie’s style and narrative. An analogy can be drawn between the explosive power Julie generates as she repeatedly practices her serves and groundstrokes and her tense state of mind. The mental element inherent to tennis can also be juxtaposed with Julie’s inner conflicts. This reveals how her struggles weigh on this young player way beyond what would be considered a healthy dose of mental strength.
The movie has already achieved considerable success, having received two awards at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics’ Week section as well as at international film festivals. Despite its heavy focus on tennis, Julie Keeps Quiet is a movie not just for tennis and sports fans. It is also relevant for the larger audiences in the context of the #MeToo movement, offering a unique perspective into the complexity of the power plays involving abuse. (Cicek Gurkan)
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