New Horizons: Julie Keeps Quiet

This electrifying directorial debut by Leonardo van Dijl was a standout of the Critics’ Week in Cannes. Julie is a promising young tennis player – the talented girl can outplay all her friends from the tennis academy. When her coach is suddenly accused of inappropriate contact with the players, Julie’s well-organised world falls apart.

The girl knows something but she keeps quiet. And she’s neither the first nor the last girl to have done so. Julie Keeps Quiet is a moving, accurate, and meaningful film that asks crucial questions concerning women’s silence in confrontation with a manipulative aggressor. Van Dijl shows Julie’s world without resorting to emotional blackmail – her story is told with respect and patience, but it is boiling with emotions on the inside. There is no tennis racket smashing on the court – this is a quiet struggle for survival.

trigger warning: suggestion of sexual abuse