The Pass

Russell Tovey plays Jason who is with his team mate Ade (Arinze Kene) in a hotel room in Romania on the night before a big game. They spend the night talking of dreams, the chances they may take and horsing around just this side of being overtly homoerotic.

The air is crackling with sexual tension and then the story moves on into the future and that is where it gets very interesting and quite deep. To say more would ruin the plot. Now this is essentially a play in three acts and it could easily be staged. The cast is minimal and that means that everyone has to be on top form and they all are. Tovey has to carry most scenes but he is ably supported by the others involved.

This is a gay based film but it is not a bedroom fest but does feature a fair bit of nakedness but not the Full Monty type either. This is a film for those who like a very human story and have an interest in why so few football professional players have ever come out of the very packed footie closet.

I had the pleasure of watching this film during the 2017 Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles and all I kept thinking to myself is WOW! This film was so well done and real to life. I actually know several personal friends who have chosen the path of career over finding true love. The results can be loneliness and missed opportunities. This film shows three different stages where love opportunities where missed over career goals. There are many levels to this film so I won't give anything from this film away. You MUST watch this film with an eye for details for there are many layers of story being told simultaneously. The actors were superb. Specially the main character who carried the film very well with conviction and authenticity. Kudos to him. Highly recommended. Beautifully done and executed.

I really enjoyed the movie and the acting was great. The way it portrayed the range of emotions in the different relationships were very poignant and authentic. Russell Tovey was amazing and gave a layered performance. Arinze Kene should definitely be given more roles in the future. I hope UK cinema realizes what they have before he is forced to go to the US for work.

I almost skipped this film due to some bad reviews I read about it, and therefore was surprised to find that it is quite enjoyable and interesting. Acting is great, especially Tovey Russel's performance which I found excellent in spite of a somewhat exaggerated character script. I admit the subject treatment is a bit outdated, and the script is more suitable for chamber theater than for a film. But still, this is a very good gay flick.

"The Pass" is extremely well-thought, well-written and well-acted; an EXTREMELY rare combination for a gay themed film. But times have certainly changed, in that we now have the benefit of openly gay actors (such as Russel Tovey) who don't shy away from such projects, and can apply their experience and skill unhindered. I felt the chemistry between the two characters of Jason and Ade at the beginning of the film was both real and forced...maybe the scenes were shot out of order, but at times I felt they were seriously best mates, and at other times it felt as if they were just playing stereotypical 2-dimensional English soccer players. I can also say this about the Jason character overall; we're supposed to believe he has an irresistible magnetism and charisma, which is why people deal with his narcissism (a very real phenomenon). Yet at the same time, the final scene crossed the barrier of disbelief, in that I can't see the Ade character would have stuck around to "participate" in whatever Jason had going on if he were still infatuated with him. However, I think the ending was a perfect way to express just how it might have brought Ade to make certain decisions in the beginning. All in all, this is one of the highest caliber gay-themed films I have seen (rivals "Brokeback Mountain") and definitely worth watching .