Elliot Page’s ‘Close to You’ trailer promises a moving tale of going home again

Elliot Page’s compassionate drama about identity, family, and going home again, Close to You, is almost in cinemas, and there’s a stunning new trailer out.

Directed and written by Dominic Savage, who co-authored the story with Page, Close to You made huge impact after premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It’s Page’s first feature film acting role since 2017 (he’s been starring in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy though), and the film was made after he came out as trans in 2020.

Page plays Sam, who returns to his Canadian hometown four years after transitioning. Living in Toronto, Sam’s hesitantly visiting for his father’s birthday, but it’s not all celebration as there’s a lot of unresolved stuff with Sam’s parents and old friends. But there’s romance on the horizon too, with a flame from Sam’s past.

“The adage ‘you can never go home again’ speaks to the indifference of time passing,” Mashable film editor Kristy Puchko wrote in her review. “Sure, you can go back to your hometown whenever, but the “you” and the “home” will never be the same again. This is the dilemma facing the trans protagonist in the indie drama Close to You, which is both fronted and produced by Elliot Page. After years of personal struggle, Sam is finally in good standing with himself. But what will happen when this him goes back to a home — and family — who may not understand?”

Close to You is in cinemas Aug. 16.