Rebecca Hall’s adaptation of “Passing” displays a stylistic sophistication and maintains a heightened emotional consistence that leaves the viewer breathless and yearning for more. The film, based on Nella Larsen’s acclaimed 1929 Harlem Renaissance novel, takes place in 1920s New York and tells the story of two Black women —Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield— who reunite after years apart. Both can “pass” as white, but have been living on different sides of the color line.
Hall’s intimate connection to the material (her maternal grandfather was African American / white “passing”) and the genius decision to frame the film in the old Hollywood standard 4:3 aspect ratio, informs its linear perspective in a way that draws the audience into Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare’s (Ruth Negga) personal space without feeling intrusive.
The viewer is meant to feel Irene’s discomfort, up close, when she occasionally dwells in her “passing” skin and repressed thoughts, or when she reveals her mood with a tense stare or head turn. The viewer is also meant to observe Clare’s disguised need to live out loud while relishing in her choice to do so unapologetically. These juxtaposed narratives are what makes “Passing” soar elegantly.
Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga triumph as actors entrusted with delivering a quiet realization about who their characters truly are, while executing masterful performances that challenge what and how we think about color, identity, sexuality, envy, and obsession.
What stands out most about Rebecca Hall’s writing-directorial debut (in addition to the clever and concise use of light and sound to tell its own story), is the captivating analysis of the complexities that exist in female friendships. Hall’s brand of conceptualization leaves the viewer with their own ambivalent interpretations and ideas, which makes for a gorgeous and memorable cinematic experience.
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Ashley Ware Jenkins
Director-screenwriter: Rebecca Hall | Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Margot Hand, Rebecca Hall | Executive producers: Oren Moverman, Angela Robinson, Erika Hampson, Michael Y. Chow, Kevin A. Lin, Ruth Negga, Tessa Thompson, Lauren Dark, Daniel Battsek, Ollie Madden, Brenda Robinson, Chaz Ebert, Yvonne Huff, Christopher Liu, Arcadiy Golubovich, Dori A. Rath, Joseph J. Restaino, David Gendron, Ali Jazayeri.
