Julie Keeps Quiet

With astute attention to framing and shot design, this riveting debut puts its rising tennis star front and center as she navigates the suspension of her coach Jeremy amid rumors of abuse. A power hitter on the court, Julie is introverted in other realms. She requests that her new coach, Backie, not make a shining example of her to her teammates and deflects whispered conversations about Jeremy’s actions while also continuing to communicate with him by phone and text. Avoiding melodrama while rising to a virtuosic ending, director Leonardo Van Diji expertly conveys the pressures and anxieties Julie faces as school officials and her parents carefully probe her for details of untoward behavior. Van Diji’s cinematic bravura is matched by the performance of his spectacular lead Tessa Van den Broeck, who embodies the character’s protective cocoon of reticence underneath her unmistakable athletic prowess. —Rod Armstrong