Passing

I am a ethnically ambiguous latina. I am half Mexican, half Costa Rican, but always get mistaken for middle eastern so this premise intrigued me. Right away though, this film is a mess. I commend Rebecca Hall's efforts to honor her own history in wanting to acknowledge the black in her family but if you're gonna cast black actresses that pass for white, these two ain't it. You need a meghan markle type, ESPECIALLY for the Tessa Thompson role. Thompson is CLEARLY black. I can't blame Hall for the story. She's working off a book, but it was just silly. All of it. It didn't make sense, it felt disjointed. It felt like two different movies. If that was the point, congrats. If not, whoops!

Passing, based on a novel of same name, is a promising story. The premise is unique and draws attention towards a significant aspect of history. And hence makes this adaptation particularly challenging. On certain aspects the film suceeds but the film carries certain fundamental flaws of storytelling which prevents it from being something extraordinary.

Coming to positives, this film is excuisitly pictured. Each frame is designed like a painting. The performances are magical. And the music is enchanting.

But the problem lies on storytelling. In a hurry to adapt the whole novel as it is, certain nuances of character building are missing. The writing is not clear enough to present the ideas it is trying to implement. Sometimes even certain stylistic choices hinders the narrative.

The film starts very well but it fails to captivate in between.

Rebecca Hall's directorial debut is impressive, to be sure. She proves with Passing that she has a sure hand behind the camera, capturing genuine human connection and emotion with very limited cuts.

The characters and their interactions provide thoroughly thoughtful material that causes one to wonder what-if anything-would ever be able to truly satisfy them in life, and what sort of wishes would bring nothing but heartache if they did come true.

It seems that Hall had a little too much on her mind, as some of the conflict between characters is quite rushed, leaving motivations vague, and it doesn't come across as strong as it should.

Overall, I'm impressed and I look forward to what Hall does next.

It's beautiful and stylish but it's disappointing. It has a really interesting idea and seems promising at first but then takes a stupid boring turn. In spite of some powerful lines, the screenplay is dull. Performances are very good. It has some good parts but it's flawed, it's a missed opportunity.

"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.