Courtesy AUM Group
Director Rebecca Hall’s first feature film is one told primarily through glances: Ruth Negga’s (Loving) quivering face and Tessa Thompson’s (Westworld) inability to keep her eyes steady. It would be hard to note anything lacking purpose here, honestly, which highlights the rarity of a first-time filmmaker entering the industry with plenty of confidence—and rightly so.
Based on Nella Larson’s 1929 novel of the same name, Irene (Thompson) and her husband Brian (André Holland) are content in the Black upper-middle class of Harlem. They pretend to be, anyway, and Irene goes “passing” every now again, a phenomenon whereby a Black person’s skin is perceived as white and they briefly glimpse a life without discrimination. During one such experience, Irene stumbles across an old friend, Clare (Negga), who’s passing full-time. But Clare misses her old world, and as she returns and infiltrates her family, Irene grows paranoid.
In its more unique aspects, Passing contrasts escapism with a desire for inclusion. Negga’s Clare leans on the uncertainty of her choices, her total disdain for—and yet dependence on—her secret identity. Irene, the psychological counterpoint to Clare, is more conventional in her choices, reflecting the unspecial middle-class life and a longing for something more; Thompson’s firm delivery questions whether one should hide from the world or embrace its pains. Who are we to tell her she’s wrong?
Here, crisp black and white cinematography feels purposeful, and Passing represents its most effective use in recent memory. Shot in high contrast with only a slight exposure, a sharp yet murky picture emerges, both intoxicating and clear in its old world charms yet repulsive and fake in its sterility. If we saw the story in color, we’d lose the point entirely.
At Passing’s heart are tough questions about human agency. Much of it feels overt, but the film’s true heart beats just beneath the surface. Hall’s film requires focus as well as knowledge on race and identity—but it’s up to the viewer to do the homework beforehand if they want the most out of the film. Passing wasn’t crafted to educate. It was crafted so we don’t forget.
8
+ Tightly crafted; Negga soars
- Subtleties won’t reach everyone
Passing
Directed by Hall
With Thompson, Negga and Holland
Netflix, NR, 99 min
