In his first feature film role since coming out as trans, Elliot Page plays a young man named Sam returning to his childhood home after years away, seeing his family for the first time since transitioning.
Yes, Close To You—directed by Dominic Savage, with a story from the filmmaker and Page himself—is an intimate and raw trans homecoming film, one made all the more powerful by the fact that it was largely improvised by its cast.
And while the main thrust of the story offers plenty of rich thematic territory to delve into—and will certainly hit close to home for many queer audiences—there’s another element of Close To You that might take you by surprise…
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On the train into town, Sam unexpectedly runs into his childhood best friend, Katherine, played by deaf actress Hillary Baack. Their reunion is happy one, but it’s also one loaded with emotion that neither of them can bear to address, at least at first.
In a storyline running parallel to the visit home, the pair’s efforts to reconnect are beautiful and sensitive—a stark contrast to many of Sam’s interactions with family. There’s a history and undeniable chemistry between Sam and Katherine, a bond made all the more palpable thanks to Page and Baack’s years-long friendship (they had met over a decade ago on the set of eco-thriller The East.)
With Close To You now playing in select theaters, Queerty took the opportunity to speak with Page and Baack to learn about how their real-life relationship helped build the beautiful, slow-burn romance we see on screen. In our conversation, Page also shares what inspired him to explore such personal subject matter, and Baack reflects on her deep connection to this story as a deaf woman.
You can watch our full interview with the stars of Close To You above, and read some highlights from the conversation below.
Elliot Page on why he wanted to include a romantic subplot in a film about a trans man’s homecoming:
“That was actually the first part of the story that Dominic and I, upon first meeting—I’d seen his work, adored his work, and we cliqued—[it] was actually the first idea we started talking about: Someone running into someone from their past they had an intense love for, but potentially couldn’t have been fully realized at the time because of where and when they grew up, and what would it mean for them to see that person again.
The whole genesis of the idea actually began with that, and then Dominic sort of goes and writes an outline, and having [Sam] run into Katherine while going home for the father’s birthday, which then led to so much of the stuff you see. And, of course, my identity, and Sam’s identity, plays into, “Well, what does that mean?” And so really, this [relationship] was actually the core beginning.
And then [you have] Sam’s going home to this family that, of course, we see them, they’re welcoming, they are doing their best, and they are happy for him in so many ways. But they’re not quite getting it right. They’re still projecting tons. They still have their own expectations of what they think is going to make him happy, what he needs to do. And when we see him with Katherine, we see a person who’s feeling seen—who’s really feeling seen—and their love is so true, and I think that joy is reflected. That was something I really wanted to explore, and particularly with Hillary.”
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Hillary Baack on the intersectionality of the deaf and queer communities in Close To You:
“I feel like, Sam and Katherine, one of the many things that connects them is that feeling of being ‘outside’ and othered, and looking at the world and maybe just not feeling that they fully belong. So, so much of even what Sam goes through with his family is very similar to what many people in the deaf and hard of hearing community often experience.
So, in that way, it’s even more universal. It’s a gift for the queer community, but it’s also a touching on that feeling that many deaf and hearing impaired people have people have.
And then the other thing that’s amazing and exciting about this film for me is that: I am a deaf woman and I always will be, and that’s part of me and it will always be part of the characters I play. But, in this story, it isn’t about the deafness. I get to just be a woman in a story—and, yes, it is a part of it, but it’s not the point. And so it’s not very often that I see opportunities or stories like that, where we’re just part of the story—we’re just part of the world. We are part of the world. It’s time to see more of us in a more regular, everyday way.”
Close To You is now playing in select theaters and will arrive to digital platforms on September 17.
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