Close to You

Close to You is a drama about Sam, a transgender man who has been living in Toronto and returns to his small hometown for his father's birthday, his first visit since his transition. The trip fills him with unease, since his departure from the family years earlier was painful and he expects awkward comments and renewed hurt. On the train he runs into Katherine, a friend from high school who is dealing with her own past and still carries feelings for him. Their reunion sets the story in motion as Sam works through his relationships with his relatives.

The film is directed and written by Dominic Savage, his third feature after Freefall and The Escape, and it was produced by Daniel Bekerman, Richard Yee and Savage. Elliot Page, who also produced through PageBoy Productions, plays Sam, with Hillary Baack as Katherine and Wendy Crewson, Peter Outerbridge, Janet Porter and Alex Paxton-Beesley in supporting roles. It is a co-production between the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

Reception has been modest. On IMDb the film holds a rating of 5.2 from around 1,500 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.8 from a much smaller pool of 19 votes. Both figures point to a muted response rather than a broad one.