JULIE KEEPS QUIET
Starring: Tessa Van den Broeck, Ruth Becquart, Koen De Bouw, Claire Bodson, and Laurent Caron
Director: Leonardo Van Dijl
QUENTIN
Going into Julie Keeps Quiet, I was expecting something close to 2019’s The Assistant — a tense examination of what happens when one stays quiet in the face of observed abuse. As it turns out, Julie Keeps Quiet is too literal of a title because this is a tension-less film filled with long silences and avoided conversations. The thing Julie (Tessa Van den Broeck) is keeping quiet about lingers so subtly in the background that you forget it’s the crux of the story, leaving us with nothing more than a collection of lifeless scenes of people running tennis drills (“lifeless” compared to Challengers, at least).
KATIE
Julie Keeps Quiet is a contemplative and deliberately paced film, but I still found it emotionally affecting. Some may find the subtlety frustrating, but it spoke to the words left unsaid and actions untaken. Not only is Julie (Tessa Van den Broeck) remaining quiet, but everyone around her only alludes to what may have happened, avoiding the consequences of what it would mean for them and the institution. The only explicitly emotional moments happen on the tennis court, the lone place Julie can express whatever she is repressing. The film presents an interesting approach to the story, effectively highlighting the weight of a victim’s silent burden.
ADRIANO
Julie Keeps Quiet is the kind of restrained and nuanced character study I typically get behind. Unfortunately, this one practices a little too much restraint. I do think the silence works in the film's favour when it comes to the analysis of its themes of consent, as it does fill the film with compelling anxiety-inducing moments. That said, while there is nothing wrong with leaving some things up to audience interpretation, this movie leaves almost every answer up to audience interpretation, to the point where I wonder if the filmmakers even had the answers. Nonetheless, I still found this to be rather fascinating.
This film was reviewed by Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.