Passing (Rebecca Hall, 2021)

[nitin]

Has anyone else seen Rebecca Hall's Passing? I thought it was a terrific debut and a very literate adaptation of what I bet is an even more brilliant novella. Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga and Andre Holland are excellent and Hall uses 4:3 B&W cinematography in a way that really worked for me in terms of boxing in the characters and also fitting in with the main theme. I saw it in Dolby Vision on Netflix and the visuals really were something, and when paired with the very careful sound design, felt like a dream.

My only criticism is that aspects of this came across as more in tune with a very British sense of repression, rather than an American one.

[Matt]

I saw it and liked it, but I don’t think I have much to say about it. I like how the B&W photography emphasizes the tensions regarding skin tone in the story (vs. skin color), and I would not be sorry to see Ruth Negga nominated for (or winning) an Oscar. I would like to see Rebecca Hall continuing to write and direct, and also to act. Her performance in The Night House was a flinty, abrasive marvel.

[Persona]

Has anyone else seen Rebecca Hall's Passing? I thought it was a terrific debut and a very literate adaptation of what I bet is an even more brilliant novella. Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga and Andre Holland are excellent and Hall uses 4:3 B&W cinematography in a way that really worked for me in terms of boxing in the characters and also fitting in with the main theme. I saw it in Dolby Vision on Netflix and the visuals really were something, and when paired with the very careful sound design, felt like a dream.

My only criticism is that aspects of this came across as more in tune with a very British sense of repression, rather than an American one.

I liked it a good bit, though perhaps its lasting effect was, eh, passing.

The cinematography is a great boon to it. As are Negga and Holland. I am somewhat conflicted on Thompson's performance, and find it difficult to parse from an artificiality/intentionality perspective.

I am not familiar with the book but can only presume the film follows it. I am not sure about the overarching dramatic structure and endgame, yet nonetheless it's interesting to mull over.