Directed by Rebecca Hall.
2021. Rated R, 99 minutes.
Cast; Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland, Bill Camp, Alexander Skarsgard, Gbenga Akinnagbe.
During the Roaring Twenties, Irene (Thompson) is nervously moving around the white side of town. She soon finds herself in a hotel restaurant, taking in the surroundings. It's clear that no one suspects that she isn't white. That is, until it's clear someone recognizes her. It turns out that it's Clare (Negga), an old friend. As the two reconnect, we find out that Irene is only passing for white as a temporary look at how the other half lives. For Clare, it's a way of life. She's married to John (Skarsgard), a wealthy white man who doesn't know she's Black. We meet John when Irene accompanies Clare back to their hotel room for some more catching up. Not only is John unaware of his wife's ethnicity, he's also racist. When back at home, Irene shares this with her husband, but then puts the encounter behind her. It all comes back when Clare shows up on her doorstep, apparently missing her African-American roots, wanting to hang out. The shock for Clare is that Irene and her husband, though living in Harlem, are actually wealthy. From there, the two become heavily involved in each other's lives.
The relationship of these two women, seen through Irene's eyes, is uncomfortable from the beginning. We get the sense that she pities Clare for having to live a lie, but it doesn't always seem that she likes Clare. Thompson's performance strikes just the right tone to bring this across. We get why Irene tolerates Clare. We don't always get the lengths to which she does, but the wisdom behind her eyes gives us some confidence. On the other hand, we know the situation is precarious, at best. Clare's circumstances dictate as much. Negga's work as Clare is a constant reminder of this. She's so overjoyed to be expressing her true self she's often oblivious to how much she's imposing. She doesn't do so in the over the top comedic way of many movies. She's just living her best life. Negga and Thompson play off each other quite nicely, generating good chemistry despite their characters not always behaving in a warm manner toward one another.
Through the exploits of these two women we get a picture of the anguish caused by continually trying to pass yourself off as something you're not. We feel Clare's relief at just being able to exist without carrying the burden of her facade. Simultaneously, Irene's disdain is palpable, as is her willingness to provide Clare with a safe space, regardless of her own feelings. Irene having the ability to pass, if not the desire to live that way, helps their kinship grow. No matter how many side-eyed looks Irene gives Clare we know there is a fondness there. The way we feel about Clare follows the same pattern. We don't necessarily like her, but we come to understand her. We never fully trust her, but want the best for her. We worry about her.
What we don't see, is much in the way of actual passing. Aside from the initial scene in the hotel room, we never see Clare interact with her husband. He's a man who not only hates Black people, but is only half-jokingly afraid his "white" wife will one day wake up Black because he's noticed her skin is gradually getting darker with time. Without his involvement, we don't see much of the inner turmoil she must be dealing with. It's all implied. Normally, I'm perfectly fine with that tactic, but this feels like something that would've benefitted from being more explicitly stated. We would get a look at the simple mechanics of her day-to-day life. It would also give us more time with John and might add more depth to him. As it stands, he's almost an abstract idea of the racist white male. He is here simply for his final actions. This serves the story as is, but avoids some of the tougher questions it could be asking.
Passing is the directorial debut of actress Rebecca Hall. To some, it might seem to be a surprising choice for such an endeavor. The easy criticism of her is that she is trying to tell a story which she doesn't seem to relate to. However, that's probably not the case. If you're like me, you probably didn't know that Hall's own mother is made up of several ethnicities, African-American and Native American among them, and passed for white, herself. Therefore, it's a fitting choice. Hall's film is one that explores identity, including self-hatred. We get pulled into the story, and caught up in the relationship between these two women. We're also invested in Irene's relationship with her husband Brian (Holland), and the affect Clare has on it. This adds to the friction between them. The film seems as much interested in this as it does the eponymous subject. It often feeds into the idea that it would rather skim the surface than do a deep dive. Presumably, Hall made the aesthetic decision to present Passing in black and white. To my eye, this feels like necessity rather than artistic freedom. Though light Negga and Thompson may be, there's never been one second where I thought either was not Black. Part of that might be because I'm Black. Another part might be that I've seen films starring both that depended on them being Black. Shooting in black and white helps masks their race. It works enough for us to buy in. That sums up my assessment of the movie as a whole, too. It's a good film because it works enough for us to buy in.
Day 6 Wrap-Up
I will be back tomorrow with a post detailing all the entries of this year's Girl Week. Thanks for participating, whether as a contributor or just a reader.
Hmmm. I'm curious about this, especially with Imitation of Life so fresh in my memory. But as you mentioned at the end I don't think I can buy the two actresses as able to pass. Even in the accompanying pictures they look black and the premise would indicate the necessity of believing the women could move without suspicion in society.
ReplyDeleteBoth are good actresses but sometimes that's not enough. In this instance you need someone who looks like 40's band leader Ina Ray Hutton. If you're not familiar with her a quick Google search will illustrate the difference. It came out after her death that she, as well as her sister-singer June Hutton- had been passing for white from their teens without detection.
Yes, this movie definitely requires your buy-in immediately. The black and white helps with that, but doesn't completely sell it. Thank you for putting Ina Ray Hutton on my radar. She certainly fits the bill.
DeleteThis is one of the few contemporary black and white films where I feel like the use of it is justified. I read Hall wanted it this way so she could cast black actresses, and it works for that. I liked this. The women involved were great.
ReplyDeleteBoth gave it all they had, and are both very capable actresses.
DeleteThis is a film that I hope to see ASAP as the subject matter is interesting as all of that stuff about Rebecca Hall's mother is something I didn't know about which I think is a valid reason for Hall to helm this film.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very valid reason. I hope you get to see it soon so I can hear your thoughts on it.
DeleteMy mom took me with her to see Imitation of Life on a day when I'd had to stay home from school. That I can remember that day so vividly speaks to the impression the film made on me. The theater was on Howard St, not far from the El stop in Chicago. It was crowded with mainly middle aged white women wearing hats. The emotional punch of that film was almost unbearable for me, a young kid. What I most recall is that when the prodigal daughter raced home distraught over her mother's death, a mother she had denied, that suddenly, almost on cue, the hankies flew out of the handbags and those women began a steady stream of loud sniffling. I may have been too young to handle something that was really very devastating. And that is an important difference between Imitation and Passing.
ReplyDeleteAs you said: "It often feeds into the idea that it would rather skim the surface than do a deep dive." Hall's mistake in my view was in keeping this story so vague & our view of these characters so remote. We never develop empathy for any of the characters cuz we can never figure out with any certainty what's truly going on with them. It would have taken 5 minutes of film time to include a scene of either Clare or Irene passing. (What would have been interesting is if it had been a scene of one of them passing & failing to get away with it!) And, yes, I agree that neither one of them look white. I recall a comment about Phillip & Elizabeth's disguises in the series The Americans --those disguises were meant to fool people who didn't know them & would never have fooled people who did. To pass for white, a black person would have to destroy all evidence of the person she started out in life as--skin color alone could not guarantee a successful pass. As soon as Clare opened her mouth, you knew that woman was black.
Thank you for this comment! Glad to see I wasn't off-base on the film's shortcomings.
DeleteNice write up, Dell.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Nella Larsen's novel. so can't comment on whether much of the source material was removed, but it does come across as quite shallow and lacking depth. That said, it's a clever film (the cinematography is exquisite) and the cast are brilliant, especially Thompson.
I definitely agree that the cinematography is gorgeous. There's no denying that.
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