Passing | Film Review

 

I saw this film on Netflix's schedule and added it to my list, mainly because it stars Tessa Thompson, who I'm a huge fan of. But I never really thought about the premise of the film, or how profound it could be.

In the 1920s, a black woman's (Tessa Thompson) life is changed when she reconnects with a childhood friend (Ruth Negga) who is passing as white.   

I liked this film so much more than I thought I would. I often find that films like this with a profound message can sometimes miss the mark, but I liked the direction this took.

I went into this expecting it to be black and white, and I like that it was. Having said that, one thing that it did was obscure the skin colours of the two main actresses. And while this may be the point, it didn't really work for me because neither of these women look like they can reasonably pass as white. If the film were in colour, this would probably easier to understand.  

This is a really interesting story with really complex, three-dimensional characters that I loved watching.

The concept of Passing in general is a really intriguing one. When you think about the terror of being caught, the exhaustion of keeping up appearances, in some cases not being able to be yourself with your spouse or children, it's so much to think about. 

And with this, I wish the film had had a bit of focus on Clare's (Ruth Negga) point of view. Because, for me, this film only scratches the surface of the deeper themes that it's trying to explore.

The score is absolutely beautiful, and it accompanied the film really well.

The entirety of the film is ambiguous. It's not making any statements and it doesn't have a hard-hitting message. Rather, it lightly touches on themes of identity and racial tension.

I loved the ending. I wasn't sure which direction it would go in, but for me, it ended perfectly.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this film. It may not have said everything that I wanted it to say, but it says a lot, and is definitely worth a watch.

6.5/10