Elliot Page Plays Trans Man in Reunion Movie

Elliot Page is heading back home amid tense family dynamics in the trailer for the drama feature Close to You.

Greenwich Entertainment releases writer-director Dominic Savage’s movie in theaters Aug. 16 following its premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Page stars as Sam, a trans man who returns home for a family reunion and reconnects with an old friend.

“I’m going home for my dad’s birthday,” Page says in the trailer. “I haven’t gone back in close to four years.” Later, Page laments, “I know I’m nothing but a disappointment to them.”

At one point in the footage, Sam’s mom (played by Wendy Crewson) admits, “I just still think of you as my little girl.”

Savage wrote and directed the film, with Page credited for his work on the story. Savage, Page, Daniel Bekerman, Krishnendu Majumdar, Richard Yee and Chris Yurkovich serve as producers.

Close to You marks Page’s first big-screen acting role since 2017. The Oscar-nominated performer, who came out as trans in 2020, is known for work in such features as Juno, Whip It, Inception and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Page’s television credits include the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy and a voice role in Paramount+’s Ark: The Animated Series.

In her Close to You review for The Hollywood Reporter, critic Lovia Gyarkye praised Page’s “persuasive” performance as a highlight of the movie. She also wrote, “The film yearns to capture the stages of this emotional exhumation, but a clunky screenplay makes for a less affecting watch.”