JULIE KEEPS QUIET

In a society where opinions are voiced and judgments swiftly made on any issue, anyone who remains silent is considered suspicious. This is the case for Julie, a star player at an elite tennis academy whose coach is facing a high-stakes investigation. Leonardo Van Dijl captures the tensions and hidden pressures of competition in his absorbing debut feature, which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week and will represent Belgium at next year’s Oscars. Produced by tennis player Naomi Osaka and playwright Florian Zeller, this slow-burning psychological drama and social critique, underscored by Nicolas Karakatsanis’s sombre cinematography (I, Tonya, Bullhead), unfolds with precise, minimal gestures, like a B-side of Lucía Puenzo’s Dive. Some silences – born of fear, guilt, or destruction – speak volumes.