Passing

source: Passing

source: Passing

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.

"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.