Passing (film)

Passing is a 2021 drama film written and directed by Rebecca Hall in her feature directorial debut. The film is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen. The title refers to African-Americans pretending to be white, the practice of passing.[2] The film stars Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, and Bill Camp.

Passing
Directed byRebecca Hall
Produced by
Screenplay byRebecca Hall
Based onPassing
by Nella Larsen
Starring
Music byDevonte Hynes
CinematographyEduard Grau
Edited bySabine Hoffman
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • January 30, 2021 (2021-01-30) (Sundance)
Running time
98 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2021, and will be released by Netflix later in the year.

Premise

Mixed-race childhood friends reunite in adulthood and become obsessed with one another's lives. Irene is African-American, married to a black doctor named Brian, while Clare is pretending to be white and is married to John, a man who is racist against black people.

Cast

Production

Ruth Negga read Passing and felt "completely astounded".[3] When Rebecca Hall presented her with a script version, Negga decided to collaborate in making it into a film as Negga was surprised the work was not more prominent.[3]

It was announced in August 2018 that Hall would be making her directorial debut on the adaptation of the Nella Larsen novel, with Tessa Thompson and Negga set to star in the lead roles.[4] Hall had begun writing the film upon reflecting on her own family's history. Thompson stated that the film would be shot in black and white.[5] André Holland was cast in October 2019.[6] In November 2019, Alexander Skarsgård joined the cast of the film.[7]

Filming began in November 2019.[8]

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".[9]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2021.[10] Shortly after, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film.[11]

Critical response

According to Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 18 critic reviews, Passing received "universal acclaim".[12] On Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 56 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The critics consensus on the website is: "While Passing's delicate approach has a dampening effect on its story, debuting director Rebecca Hall makes the most of an impressive cast — and handles thorny themes with impressive dexterity."[13]

Jessica Kiang of Variety wrote that the film is "unerring, deceptively delicate, quiet and immaculate, like that final fall of snow."[2]

Benjamin Lee ranked the film two of five stars, arguing that it had "disappointing lack of verve" and was "inert".[9]

References
  1. "Passing". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  2. Kiang, Jessica (January 31, 2021). "'Passing' Review: Rebecca Hall's Subtle, Provocative Directorial Debut". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. Yamato, Jen (February 1, 2021). "Why Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson were willing to drop everything for 'Passing'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  4. N'Duka, Amanda (August 6, 2018). "Rebecca Hall To Make Directorial Debut With 'Passing'; Tessa Thompson & Ruth Negga Star In Adaptation Of 1920s Novel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  5. Geschwind, Max (December 3, 2018). "Tessa Thompson on Working With First-Time Directors: "I'm Happy to Get Them as Early as Possible"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  6. N'Duka, Amanda (October 22, 2019). "'Moonlight' Actor André Holland Joins 'Passing' Adaptation From Rebecca Hall". Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. Wiseman, Andreas (November 13, 2019). "Alexander Skarsgård, Endeavor Content, Film4 Join Rebecca Hall Directorial Debut 'Passing', Shoot Underway On Feminist Civil Rights Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  8. Welch, Rebecca (October 30, 2019). "Another Newly Announced HBO Max Show Has Started Casting". Backstage. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  9. Lee, Benjamin (January 31, 2021). "Passing review – Rebecca Hall's elegant but inert directorial debut". The Guardian. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  10. Debruge, Peter (December 15, 2020). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Features 38 First-Time Directors, Including Rebecca Hall and Robin Wright". Variety. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  11. Galuppo, Mia (February 3, 2021). "Sundance: Netflix Grabs 'Passing' Starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Nega". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/passing
  13. "Passing (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
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