Yr Ymadawiad

The opening scene sets the tone for the entire film, i.e. dark, brooding, virtually no dialog and painfully slow moving. The positive reviews and award nominations convinced me this would be worth watching, however, I found the actions of the characters to be implausible throughout the film making it difficult for me to become immersed in the story.

Still, the cinematography was somewhat captivating, so I hung in there for the big reveal at the end, but once again was disappointed to find nothing particularly clever about the troubling past of the three characters as it was gradually revealed to the audience. I suppose, learning the back story of each character will be interesting for some viewers, but anything less than 5 stars from my perspective suggests my time could have been spent watching something more worthwhile.

This film must rank as one of the best to come out of Wales, either in English or in welsh....and if you want to know something about Wales please watch this rather than John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (which by the way is surely due an authentic Welsh remake).

Sadly Yr Ymadawiad has had minimal cinematic exposure in its own country, (I saw it at a one off sub-titled screening in my local Odeon, in Swansea, at 11pm on a Saturday night), and the reason for this must inevitably be the pervading attitude in large parts of Wales towards its mother tongue.

Of the handful of welsh language (or Cymraeg) cinematic films in existence this one definitely ranks as one of the finest. It demonstrates a maturity, a depth, and a raw dramatic impact which keeps the viewer glued throughout. Having said that is it a slow paced piece, with only three main characters to keep the story alive, yet the constant twists, the slow reveals, and the mounting tension, makes for a tumultuous climax.

With shades of M.Night Shyalaman, there is something unforgettable here. An incredibly sad film, which in some ways contains elements of many other great ghost films. The characters are completely tied up in their own conflicts, pain, and obsessions. But these somehow come together,leading seamlessly to a tragic denouement.

The ultimate scene is well worth waiting for, and though it works as a stand alone cinematic twist it is especially poignant if you are 'up on' welsh social history of post-war Wales. I didn't see it coming, but it has stayed with me. A haunting, sad experience...which actually achieves something rarely seen in welsh popular art: something deep about the native culture is conveyed from the point of view of the native culture itself.

Overall, this is an accessible, original work, and certainly worth a watch for anyone be they welsh speaking or not.

The Passing is an excellent feature that belies its low budget production. Beautifully shot and well- acted, with an intriguing script and embellished by a wonderful score, it's a real shame this film has not found a wider audience. I wonder of the fact that it is a Welsh-language feature (the first ever, I think) has put people off? That would be a shame because the film bears comparison with any European film of a similar ilk. It's well worth seeking out. So far, The Passing is only available via the BFI website (which is how I came across it), but hopefully it will make its way onto a more mainstream platform before too long. Highly recommended.

When the real premise of a movie is hidden until the very last scene, someone's done a good job because at that very last scene, you find yourself rethinking everything you thought you already knew from prior scenes.

Ultimately, this movie is about second chances, and how second chances are earned by relatively flawed good character, or blown by bad character. A nice literary fiction - character development story.

The cinematography isn't great, but the story makes up for it.

I did not get that much out of the movie, but I would not have rated it because it seemed pretty clear there was a lot that just blew by me that was over my head.

After reading the spoiler reviews I now understand it quite a bit better.

Still not sure who the kid in front of the fireplace was at the end, though.

Sorry to have to have everything explained to me but it is what it is.