User Reviews

It's beautiful and stylish but it's disappointing. It has a really interesting idea and seems promising at first but then takes a stupid boring turn. In spite of some powerful lines, the screenplay is dull. Performances are very good. It has some good parts but it's flawed, it's a missed opportunity.

"Passing" is an admirable freshman directorial effort from actress Rebecca Hall, but the film feels too tightly controlled to ever fully come alive.

Ruth Negga (looking a bit like Joan Blondell) and especially Tessa Thompson give strong performances as two old friends and maybe more who run into each other again in New York City after years apart. Negga's character is passing for white and has married a vile biggot. Thomspson's character is in a sexless marriage with a doctor and is living a well to do life in Harlem. The act of passing in a racial context is the catalyst for the movie's plot, but the film explores the ways in which all of us are passing for something. It asks the question: Can those we love ever truly know us, and further, can we ever truly know ourselves?

A large number of Americans right now seem to be having trouble dealing with reality as it actually exists, so I thought a movie about people creating their own realities in an effort to make their lives better, or at least more comfortable, would feel more immediate and tuned in to the times. But Hall keeps such tight control of the reins that the film can't breathe. It's like she wanted so much to avoid any missteps with this sensitive issue that she inadvertently sucked the life out of it.

Still, the movie does have some things to recommend it. I've mentioned the performances, but it also looks gorgeous, filmed in pristine black and white by Eduard Grau. I'm excited to see what Hall does next, because she has a terrific eye. She just needs to relax.

Grade: B.

Rebecca Hall's directorial debut is impressive, to be sure. She proves with Passing that she has a sure hand behind the camera, capturing genuine human connection and emotion with very limited cuts.

The characters and their interactions provide thoroughly thoughtful material that causes one to wonder what-if anything-would ever be able to truly satisfy them in life, and what sort of wishes would bring nothing but heartache if they did come true.

It seems that Hall had a little too much on her mind, as some of the conflict between characters is quite rushed, leaving motivations vague, and it doesn't come across as strong as it should.

Overall, I'm impressed and I look forward to what Hall does next.

Greetings again from the darkness. "We're all passing for something or other." Irene (played by Tessa Thompson) speaks the line that cuts to the quick of Nella Larsen's 1929 novel, adapted here by first time writer-director Rebecca Hall. We are familiar with Ms. Hall's many film projects as an actor, and her debut as a director shows immense promise. Ms. Larsen's novel was inspired by her own life as a mixed-race woman.

It's Irene whom we first see as 'passing' as white as she visits a retail store and takes tea at a fancy restaurant that most assuredly would not serve her if her light complexion and drawn-down hat were not hiding her true self. Cinematographer Eduard Grau has the camera track Irene's darting eyes that are trained to notice potential trouble. Her gaze stops on a woman seated alone. There is a familiarity between the two and soon, Clare (Ruth Negga) has joined her long-ago childhood friend, Irene, at her table. While Irene "passes" when it's necessary, she clearly identifies and lives as an African-American - married to Harlem doctor Brian (Andre Holland). Clare, on the other hand, is living a lie. She has permanently "passed" as a white woman, marrying John (Alexander Skarsgard).

The film's best scene occurs when Clare takes Irene home and introduces her to husband John. His vile, racist nature immediately shows, creating a tense moment filled with excruciating and subtle exchanges of knowing glances between Clare and Irene. It's a dangerous moment and we aren't sure where it's headed. What is clear is that a childhood bond may exist between the two ladies, but there is now a void that can never be filled. But what happens is that Clare finagles her way into the lives of Irene and Brian (and their kids). What we see is that Clare finds the 'honest' life quite enticing. Allowing herself to be who she is ... dropping the façade ... energizes her. Racial identity and sexuality are at stake here, and so are class and culture.

Bill Camp plays a pompous writer named Hugh who always seems to be hanging around the parties and events of Irene. One of the best lines of the film occurs after Bill asks someone why they are hanging around. The answer is brief and insightful, and cuts to the quick. It's a strong debut film from director Hall. It has a dreamlike look and excellent performances from the two leading ladies. The grey area in life is teased, and we do wish the dive had been a bit deeper on Irene and Clare, but that ending is one that will stun you - even if you're expecting it.

Streaming on Netflix.

"We're all passing for something or other, aren't we?" Irene (Tessa Thompson)

Director Rebecca Hall's successful full-length debut, Passing, shows her artistic inclination to depict women on the verge of breaking away. Irene is a Black woman in the 1920's who could "pass" for white but just spends some time in the white world, being served and accepted in part because she is light skinned.

Now, her friend from her youth, Clare, consciously passes for white, and marries a racist who would kill if he knew his wife were Black. Although nothing shattering happens through most of the story, the racial divide is pronounced between white uptown and Harlem, where Irene and her husband, Brian, a doctor, live in a brownstone with a black maid and the two children he tries to prepare for a racist world they have yet to overcome.

As Clare continues to mingle with Irene's Black social life, Irene quietly assesses Clare's free-spirit and seems gently attracted to Clare. Yet, those feelings are Hall's quiet way of emphasizing the multifaced societal changes in a now truly reconstructed way.

Hall uses a crisp black and white image to accentuate the stark racial differences and the sterile laboratory-like world of incremental societal change. It's also an effective period enhancer. The title "Passing" carries multiple meanings fraught with the dark and light of good clashing with evil.

I couldn't help thinking of Fitzgerald's Gatsby, himself an interloper having romantic notions ill-suited to a society he crashes with dire consequences. Hall has caught the ironies and ambiguities of a society in change.

It isn't all pretty but generally a gorgeous palette with which promising neophyte Hall paints. Isn't it the truth: "I'm beginning to believe that no one is ever completely happy, free, or safe"? Irene

One of the best movies of the year.

The film opens with a scene in a hotel bar where Irene (Tessa Thompson), whilst trying to hide her real colour, bumps into Clare (Ruth Negga). The story is about both of them trying to reconnect and all the racial differences bringing them together but also driving them apart. This story paints a picture of the systemic bigotry that existed 100 years ago and still exists today. Plot and narrative are straightforward and the acting (Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga but also Alexander Skarsgård) was so good that you could feel the emotions. Filmed in black and white, this contributed to the whole story. Movie starts very good but is a bit slow paced. However this did not bother me. I guess you have to see the movie without prejudice to appreciate it. No good can come from hiding who you are, or from a society that gives you the reason to.

I dont really know what to think about the movie. It have a great ambience and atmosphere and the look white and black is pretty well made. But you need to be warned that the movie is very slow and threat a racial theme. But i didnt find any purpose of this movie and what it want us to think about it. I found 2 womens talk about their lifes and what they loved. Its like two friends who just meet and. Spend times together. Social condition is mentionned but i found it pretty superficial. It still pleasant to watch and some shots were pretty interesting but it clearly lack of storytelling. The visual lack also of storytelling and purpose. Still have a good moment to watch it but nothing more. I didnt find any messages or moral about the movie or surprise. The end is pretty rushed i suppose and it end pretty quick in my opinion. A little bit disappointing about the movie. I excpected more mysteries, suspense and more but nothing at all.

Passing, based on a novel of same name, is a promising story. The premise is unique and draws attention towards a significant aspect of history. And hence makes this adaptation particularly challenging. On certain aspects the film suceeds but the film carries certain fundamental flaws of storytelling which prevents it from being something extraordinary.

Coming to positives, this film is excuisitly pictured. Each frame is designed like a painting. The performances are magical. And the music is enchanting.

But the problem lies on storytelling. In a hurry to adapt the whole novel as it is, certain nuances of character building are missing. The writing is not clear enough to present the ideas it is trying to implement. Sometimes even certain stylistic choices hinders the narrative.

The film starts very well but it fails to captivate in between.

My Review - Passing streaming on Netflix

My Rating 8/10

Passing is a very unusual story which I thought was fascinating, educational and quite beautiful to watch.

The film is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen, and its title refers to African-Americans who had skin color light enough to be perceived as white, referred to as "passing." I was fascinated from the opening scene when we see Irene Redfield, a refined, upper-class 1920s woman, finding a breezy refuge from a hot summer day in the grand tearoom of New York City's Drayton Hotel. Across the room, she spots a blond woman staring her down, Clare.

Irene who is obviously "Passing" just for the day at first is alarmed that she may have been sprung until Clare approaches and she recognises that Claire who is now blonde and obviously passing unrecognisable as Afro American is her childhood friend so they reminisce and bring each other up to date on their new middle to upper class lives .

Clare invites Irene back to the hotel where she is staying with her husband, John, on his business trip. Clare explains that after her father died, she was raised by two white aunts and married him very young. They are interrupted by John, who openly despises and degrades African-Americans, unaware of his wife's racial background or that Irene is "passing" for the day.

Clare is determined to re enter her friend Irene's life as she longs for contact again with her race and Irene who is married to Brian a successful Doctor and living in relative splendour in Harlem has social contacts with the community she has hidden from since her marriage to John.

That's enough no spoilers the story takes off in directions that are surprising.

The two actresses in Passing are both beautiful and talented Tessa Thompson as Irene is so elegant and understated and Ruth Negga as Claire is a jazz baby of the 1920's both wear some beautiful fashion by costume designer Marci Rodgers.

Filming began in November 2019 written and produced, and directed by Rebecca Hall in her feature directorial debut.

With less than a month to go before filming production was set to begin, Rebecca Hall was still $500,000 short on her desired $10 million budget, and had to apply for two grants to cover the difference.

The film is in monochrome. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian praised the use of a 4:3 aspect ratio as in this film it was "both fitting and practical given a smaller budget.

I think what I found most interesting in Passing was the unusual aspect that's not often depicted that of wealthy middle class Afro Americans set in my favourite era the 1920's and living lives of privilege while on the other side of town the contrast of the poorer members of their community live in relative poverty.

Their affluent lifestyles mirrored the wealthy white families they also employed black servants and attended charity functions , their homes were stylish and they dressed beautifully.

I had to research a little more after watching Passing and found a few interesting pieces about the African American society in the 1920s that expressed a strong sense of cultural identity. The Harlem Renaissance was the center of African American literary and artistic activity during this period.

W. E. B. DuBois. The American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist and author. Wrote an essay in 1903 called "The Talented Tenth." The black elite in New York were educated men and women who "aspired to an identity that reached beyond the local and the national to a cosmopolitanism that would distinguish them both from the mass of impoverished black New Yorkers and also from the wealthy, educated- but racially estranged - white men and women with whom they otherwise shared much" It is ironic that the black elite wanted to both distinguish themselves from their poor brethren and also uplift the poor blacks.

I really enjoyed Passing and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys an original and unique experience in Cinema.

I thought I would like this film much more than I did. I had the expectation that it would be more realistic. Instead, it was more of a melodrama. Even the characters' speech was stilted. I guess they were going for a 1920s look & feel.

My parents were born in the twenties. So I found that aspect intriguing.

The film had an interesting premise, but the plot never really got off the ground.

There is something to take away from this film but not enough to ever watch it again. It is slow. The acting seems a bit overdone. I just don't find it believable.

Passing had me worried going in. With Rebecca Hall's directorial debut, this seemed like something that could go well or horribly wrong. What we've all learned from this is that Rebecca Hall is no longer just a good actress, but also a director. A novel adaption, the film follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities. There's a lot to digest here. The script is really thought provoking. It deals with race, gender, sexuality, and much more - sometimes even without mentioning it. Today's climate has evolved so much since the 20s (I believe it's the 20s), but this all still feels so relevant. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga give incredible performances. Truly some of the best work they've done. André Holland has a supporting role that he also does well with. Every frame has something to say, whether it's symbolic or straightforward. The use of gorgeous black and white cinematography at a 4:3 aspect ratio speaks so much. The production design is pleasing to look at along with the costumes. It's a really beautiful film to look at. I liked Passing a little more than most. Some have felt the slowness is too much and that it's too quiet. I did think it take a minute to get into but I thought this was extremely well made. A minor issue I had was with the sound. They all talk so quietly that it can be hard to hear sometimes. Hall explained during the Q&A that she intended it to be quiet, but it could've used more work. Honestly, I think we have an early awards contender for next year. The film speaks about race in a way no other has.

Finally watched "Passing" based on I believe actual events and times of 1920's "New York City", and many believe things like this are still actual. Director Rebecca Hall shot it in black and white and the mood is personal and character driven as the viewer sees two different sides of two different ladies. Old friends from school Irene(Tessa Thompson) and Clare(Ruth Negga) meet again both are elegant and well to do as Irene is married to a doctor and like Clare both are very light skinned, Irene sticks with the truth while Clare goes the other route all while misleading her husband who's a wreck and always against the grain. The tension and drama is felt as all involved interact the film really is lovely and soul searching, still it's message to me is to live in reality and be who you were meant to be as one changing and passing identity for acceptance leads to unexpected tragic happenings.

The entire subject of this movie is predicated on black women who were light skinned enough to "pass" as white women before we were an integrated society.

Having been born into a biracial family, I know what my grandparents went through, as well as my mom and uncles. All because my grandparents loved each other!

I was born white, with blonde hair and green eyes. Some of my cousins look like we couldn't possibly be blood related; yet we are!

Long story short; the casting of this film could have been more representative of what "passing" could really look like. My mom looked just like her mom and her brothers, just like their dad.

I don't feel in reality, Rene would have have "passed" as white. Even with the film being shot in black and white, it doesn't come across.

This is not a reflection on the director, the actors or anything except casting choices.

Rebecca Hall's 'Passing' is a profound, challenging, and gripping examination of racial identity. As a debut feature from an actress-turned-director, Hall is confident in her visions. The visuals and performances from all the cast are executed to near-perfection. It's hugely accomplished and very impressively staged.

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Black-and-white films are something I'll always cherish, but when these two colors become part of the narrative itself, then I can only expect a great movie. Passing approaches the fear of being colored due to obvious reasons of the film's period, and it does so in a necessarily disturbing, emotionally investing manner. Tessa Thompson (Irene) plays in the colored side while Ruth Negga (Clare) enjoys the privileges of passing as white. A captivating story unravels with Irene and Clare feeling envious of each other. If the former desires the latter's (external) happiness, Clare feels terrible for not possessing the same principles and morals as Irene.

While I feel much more empathy for Irene's pride in being colored, I also don't blame Clare for getting a better life without all the discrimination. Both have their own personal problems, but as their friendship grows larger and more significant, these issues also expand and become seriously hurtful, especially to Tessa's character. The narrative loses a bit of steam when it starts focusing on romantic jealously instead of the interracial matter. The passage of time occasionally feels too abrupt and slightly confusing. Finally, the ending doesn't do justice to the movie's central theme and title, almost completely forgetting what it was supposed to communicate to the audience.

Nevertheless, it's still a marvelous film with a meaningful storytelling purpose. As expected, Tessa and Ruth deliver brilliant performances, boasting a charming, dynamic, even passionate chemistry, but André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, and the always remarkable Bill Camp also prove their worth. The B&W transmits a beautiful message concerning the lack of importance of someone's color (in B&W, everyone looks the same), and the significant value of morals and principles that truly define a person. As her feature directorial debut, Rebecca Hall undoubtedly shows talent, but she'll need to learn that "less is more". Gorgeous, elegant cinematography from Edu Grau.

Passing is a solid feature directorial debut for Rebecca Hall, but she must learn to focus on just one central theme. Otherwise, such a beautifully shot movie boasting outstanding performances will lose its precious message in the middle of so many irrelevant, superficial romantic endeavors. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga carry the plot forward with charm and elegance, as does everyone else in the cast, but these two share such remarkable chemistry that I feel that the slow pacing was actually quite adequate. While the main plot revolves around the "passing as white" debate, I couldn't feel more engaged by the narrative and its opposite-sided main characters. However, this fascinating matter gradually loses energy, ultimately fading completely to an underwhelming jealously story between women, culminating in a climax that feels slightly out-of-place and exaggerated. Still, it's more entertaining than I anticipated it to be, and it still leaves the viewers with a very interesting "what if it was me" scenario to think about.

This film leaves many things to interpretation but that makes it more special.

The film has an interesting plot with a good development and good character development, the good performances, especially that of Tessa Thompson, make the film very endearing and deep, although the story between the two main female characters is missing and leaves wanting to know more about this relationship between them. It is very beautifully shot, has good photography and good production design.

The performances are the heart of this film although the story provokes a lot of curiosity about the main relationship, this being a factor that can make the film less enjoyable.

"Passing," based on a 1929 novel by Nella Larsen is stylish, nuanced, and refreshingly smart. Unlike most films that spell everything out for you, "Passing" requires more of an audience. It allows you the freedom to interpret things in your own way. As a result, the film offers an experience unique to the individual viewer.

It essentially tells the story of two light-skinned African American women, Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga), childhood friends who meet by chance as adults. Clare is passing for White while Irene lives mostly as a Black person in Harlem (but passes when it is convenient). Clare, who yearns to reconnect with Irene, threatens Irene's carefully controlled life.

Besides the obvious issue of passing for White, the film deals with questions about sexuality, how context plays into our perceptions of people, and how to discuss race with our children.

Beautifully shot by. Eduard Grau in black & white in a traditional 1.33:1 ratio, it almost looks like we're watching a vintage film. The gifted actor Rebecca Hall, whose African American maternal grandfather, Norman Isaac Ewing actually passed for White (and Native American) in the early to mid-20th century, directs her feature film debut with a sure hand.

A subtle film with an unhurried pace requires your full attention to fully appreciate.

Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are two beautiful black women who are on the light side of the spectrum. In this movie Negga decides she's light enough to live her life as a white woman in an effort called Passing. After losing touch with each other in childhood, Thompson who plays Rene runs into Negga playing Claire at a time when she was passing for white, and married to a white man who not ironically hated black folks (did I mention the movie is set in the late 1920s?)

Though the term Passing comes from the concept of black people getting away with being white (and on one level that Rachel Dolezal thing), the movie in itself tries to examine how we are all passing for something. Most of it is not as plain to see as the black concept except for the idea of homosexuals passing for straight, something that was pretty obvious from the jump.

I think my favorite part of the movie is the idea that some people can pass better than others. I noticed little elements of some people who feel they can't pass having mixed feelings about those who can pass and what was weird about that is that the person who can pass seemed to fit in wherever they wanted, which was hard for the person who could not pass to see.

I also think it's interesting that a white women wrote and directed this movie, unless Rebecca Hall is passing. I'm making an assumption that this is the actress, Rebecca Hall. I say this: there is no passing that this movie was directed by a white woman (even if she's passing). It's very cool that Hall wanted to tell this story, but I think it would have felt different if Regina King directed it.

I would say the movie had a very interesting subject that should be talked about and if this is Hall's directorial debut...it shows.

I find this movie very, very bizarre. I love Rebecca Hall, as an actress, and have eagerly watched almost everything she has done; she is particularly incredible in The Gift.

But this movie leaves me so flat because I just don't understand the point at all. The story becomes boring and trite within the first 20 minutes: a woman passing as white because she can? The weirdest thing at all is that Ruth Negga, a competent actress, doesn't appear white at all. She looks like what she is: a black woman, albeit light skinned, proud of the fact that she is able to pass as white? She looks like a black woman sporting white makeup; which all the more leads me to the question? What is the movie, and Hall in particular, trying to prove?

Beyond strange.........

In her directing debut, Hall gives us a beautiful, queer-coded drama about the difficulty of being a black woman in America. Somehow her inexperience (as a director & a white woman) still manages the subtle emotional & creative power of a pre-America Hitchcock. Thompson anchors the film with assured elegance, while Negga is a quiet powerhouse. Their verbal & emotional patter is filled with romantic mystery, leading to an unexpectedly stark ending.

I am a ethnically ambiguous latina. I am half Mexican, half Costa Rican, but always get mistaken for middle eastern so this premise intrigued me. Right away though, this film is a mess. I commend Rebecca Hall's efforts to honor her own history in wanting to acknowledge the black in her family but if you're gonna cast black actresses that pass for white, these two ain't it. You need a meghan markle type, ESPECIALLY for the Tessa Thompson role. Thompson is CLEARLY black. I can't blame Hall for the story. She's working off a book, but it was just silly. All of it. It didn't make sense, it felt disjointed. It felt like two different movies. If that was the point, congrats. If not, whoops!

Regardless of however long it took to get to the film's end, I was hoping that sometime before the main characters would be fully developed, that their secrets and passions wouldn't be glossed over, and that their fears would somehow present themselves on screen as more than someone else's nightmare. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. Throughout the film, with all the silent or slow motion moments, I found myself with the time to think up scenes that would have fully formed each character and landed on a finale that would sum up the lives of those I watched dance around--whatever it was they wanted. All the while, what I wanted was to love this film. Sadly, I can't.

I thought it had a strong start, it was somewhat ok in the middle and the end was alright. Your shout i thought maybe but its your choice. There are other films.