'Passing' A Review

Passing is a period drama adapted from the 1929 novel of the same name. In 1920's NYC Irene(Tessa Thompson) runs into a childhood friend Clare(Ruth Negga) at a hotel, Irene is "passing" for the day in order to shop but Clare is married to a wealthy racist white man and is "passing" as a way of life. After some trepidation the two friends reconnect.

Both Thompson and Negga give stellar performances, subtle but infinitely complicated. Thompson in the lead and with the more restrained role has more work to do, many layers and filters to transmit through, and it's an incredibly intricate performance if ultimately lacking in some catharsis or transformation. Negga is effervescent, powerful, exuberant but she too is operating through so much text and subtext that, not that the performance falls short, but because of the remove, because of the twisting alleys of emotion that both characters maze through, there is an overall lack of satisfaction. The supporting cast are all solid but they are all given little to do as the focus is, rightly, on the central two, that is save for André Holland who plays Brian Irene's physician husband. Holland has a bit more to do and serves to, very necessarily, ground the film as his portrayal is more direct and his intentions clear.

Visually striking and immersive, shot in a soft and entrancing black-and-white, with a melodious fluid simple jazz score, the production is impeccably organized and deployed by first time director Rebecca Hall whose assurance in her freshman effort is astounding. The issues, which may simply be a matter of taste, are with the narrative itself. The ending seems inevitable and in some ways perfunctory. There is an ocean of subtext between the characters but virtually nothing is ever made text and this results frequently in an emotional lack of clarity as to what's happening and what the motivation for certain behaviors are. This obliqueness is surely intentional and its effective to a point, there is simply too much of it. 

It is fresh and wonderful to see a period piece about people of color within a narrative and context we don't see often(if ever) however within the story there is an odd, inherent, classism which is unaddressed and unexplored which undercuts some potential empathy for the leads. Irene and Brian have a maid Zu(played by Ashely Ware Jenkins) and as the film progressed I couldn't help wanting, preferring even, seeing a movie about her. I had a similar reaction to Portrait Of A Lady On Fire. 

Elegant production, striking performance, perhaps too faithful of an adaptation of a hundred year old novel.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.