Director: Leonardo Van Dijl

Stars: Tessa Van den Broeck, Ruth Becquart, Claire Bodson, Laurent Caron

Belgian director-co-writer Van Dijl’s film is a slow burning and nuanced but gripping drama thriller. Remarkable newcomer Tessa Van den Broeck is Julie, a sixteen-year-old intensely focused tennis ace from a working class background, who, thanks to a scholarship, is able attend an elite academy. When her trainer Jérémy (Caron), with whom Julie had a very close relationship with, is suspended without any explanation, it seems likely that this was to do with the recent suicide of Julie’s fellow pupil Aline. The head of the academy Sophie (Bodson), announces that an outside investigator will be visiting the school. Julie is clearly upset about Jérémy’s absence, as well as the new coach imposed on her, but keeps quiet about the exact nature of her and Jérémy’s relationship, channelling all her frustrations into the game as per her training. The picture was produced by the Dardenne brothers and while their influence can be perceived here, the poised, attentive direction feels more redolent of recent Belgian school-set drama Laura Wendel’s ‘Playground’, while Nicolas Karakatsanis’s chilly blue and grey cinemaphotography, coupled with minimal, echoey sound design, brings to mind Haneke at his most chillingly formalist. Newcomer Tessa Van den Broeck delivers an extraordinarily internalised performance that is measured, enigmatic, but sympathetic.

David Willoughby

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