Sundance Film Festival movie review: 'Passing'
(Image courtesy Sundance Film Festival)
After a gripping opening act, the period drama 'Passing' (premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival) becomes a film that so quiet that it's hard to hear all the things its precise and beautiful subtext is trying to scream.
In short: Set in 1920s New York City, former high school friends Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga) unexpectedly reunite after a chance encounter. Although both women can "pass" as white, they have chosen to live on opposite sides of the color line.
The most interesting idea 'Passing' has is self-deceit, which most prominently relates to Clare's racial identity, but slowly reveals that Irene lives with her own lies and repression. Clare is able to make concessions that Irene cannot understand. Clare is totally guileless in her total effort to 'pass' as the white wife of an well-to-do white man - enjoying upper-class life, even if it means lying everyday to her racist husband. Interwoven throughout the script is the grounded reality that Black-presenting Americans live in a very different American than mixed-race people who can 'pass' for white citizens without the stigma of being treated as a Black person. Irene's husband Brian (André Holland) impresses upon their children the harsh reality of life in 1920s America for Black Americans: a Black man can be lynched simply based on the color of their skin.
Rebecca Hall's directorial debut frames the drama in stark black-and-white. Hall uses the lightest touch to let Irene's emotions define and drive each scene. The chance reunion of the two women sparks very different awakenings for the two former friends: Clare finds herself drawn back to the Black culture she abandoned, while Irene becomes increasingly troubled by Clare - with subtle hints that her jealousy belies a repressed attraction to Clare. Hall elegantly manages this tapestry of racial, class and sexual identity, allowing quiet, fleeting moments to move the film with nuance rather than melodrama.
Unfortunately, 'Passing' loses steam and intrigue after the first act's awkward reunion. After this scene, 'Passing' is a loose string of ideas about various strata of identity - and how living a false life prevents a person from living a full life. There are pearls of keen insight to be sure, however, the story loses energy because it lacks direction. While Hall's delicacy is a strength in terms of characterization, the film could have benefited from a firmer hand in terms of managing narrative direction and energy.
Most of the film is Irene's gradual questioning of everything - from her marriage to herself - but this internal conflict should have been given a more defined story frame. At times, consecutive scenes become confusing because of how disjointed they are. For example, at one point Irene decides to stay home rather than join Brian and Clare at an evening event. But the very next scene is Irene at a club with Brian and friends. It takes a moment to figure out these two scenes have nothing to do with each other. There are a number of these jagged story transitions that give the film an unnatural abruptness.
'Passing' could be accused of being dull or inert. While this isn't necessarily true or fair ... this reaction is understandable. So much of this film is internalized conflict. And unfortunately, most of Irene's simmering inner conflict doesn't outwardly affect the story. Irene's noticeable rejection of Clare and suspicion of her husband is the most noticeable manifestation of her internalized tension -- but she doesn't act in a way to affect the story. Clare keeps coming around. Brian keeps entertaining Clare, to Irene's annoyance. This is a passive story with active inner turmoil - but the two elements rarely interact. So, for all intents and purposes, it's easy to understand why someone could walk away from 'Passing' feeling as if little-to-nothing happens.
Final verdict: Poorly managed storytelling sadly prevents 'Passing' from becoming the awards season content it should be - at least on paper. A missed opportunity to be sure.
Score: 3/5
'Passing' screens at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. This drama is not yet rated and has a running time of 98 minutes.
Directed by Rebecca Hall / Screenplay by Rebecca Hall / Score by Devonté Hynes / Cinematography by Eduard Grau / Film Editing by Sabine Hoffman / Production Design by Nora Mendis / Starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Alexander Skarsgård, André Holland & Bill Camp.
