Passing

Coldly, methodically austere drama is an intriguing debut for Hall - a little too well crafted, almost mechanically so at times, which means the emotional turmoil of her characters (and the power of the final scenes) come off as a little bloodless. Thankfully her core performers are excellent, with Thompson and Negga pitching their mutually disruptive relationship beautifully, and Holland, Camp and Skarsgard equally fine in support.

It’s beautifully shot and well performed, but its subtlety is both admirable and damaging - ultimately, the subject does not transcend its soft horror and quiet pain, and the final impression is of the visuals and performances instead of the characters or their stories.

For a first film, there's nothing outrageously lacking about 'Passing'—and you have to appreciate that it's a period piece dealing with a period topic without too much retrospective judgement, whitewashing (sorry) or condescension, but the pacing is indefinably wrong, especially compared to the pre-Code dramas it emulates aesthetically. I'd have liked for the languid first hour to better establish the tensions leading to the resolution, whose causes manifest rather suddenly in the last reel.

Stellar direction and cinematography carry this delicate psychodrama. Stunning performances from Thompson and Negga take it to the next level.

Stylish and intriguing.

This is a somewhat thoughtful film. I found myself thinking it looked like a play. Its in black and white, for somewhat obvious reasons. A bit arty maybe, a little slow in terms of plot but it is what it is. The cast are decent and the ending is particularly thoughtful, if somewhat sobering.

Subtle, slow, and strange. A sense of tension would have been welcome, along with hints at answers to some of the questions that arose. But I will praise Passing overall for its POV and bold, dramatic performances.

Thompson and Negga are excellent and the film looks beautiful. Sound is approached very delicately and in a manner that really encouraged me to lean in and soak it up (the initial meeting of the two main characters is a particular highlight). Music weaves in and out of the film in a way that straddles the line between diegetic material and score. Rebecca Hall and her team really craft a very intoxicating atmosphere and sense of place - no small feat for any director, let alone a first-timer.

Beautifully multi-layered, with both actors and camera interrogating the characters and the various masks they wear in almost every shot. I've seen people complain that Thompson and Negga are too obvious, I'm pretty sure that's the point. I do sort of wish Hall had dug more into classic b&w cinematography, there are moments when it looks flatter than it should, especially with how gorgeous it is when it wants to be.

Better than I thought it was gonna be. At first I was thinking it was going to be all historical mumbo jumbo but takes on a much more psychological bend

Beautifully shot novel adaptation about race relations in 1920s America, with stellar leading performances.

The marketing does a disservice to this film. It isn't a period picture on a lesser-known part of America's racial history. Instead, it's a psychological drama akin to Persona; where two women look at one another with fascination. Rebecca Hall uses a neat faux retro style with black & white photography, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and jazz score. Yet at times the theme of passing (in race, class, and time) can be cluttered by odd transitions, dangling subplots, and a monotonous tone. Still, recommended.

(NEAR WHITE PEOPLE)

İki arkadaş. Renee ve Clare arasındaki arkadaşlık duygularını anlatmışlar. Bu sefer, biraz ağırdan alınmış. Oyunculukların abartılı sofistike olduğu film, sadede gelene kadar oyalanıyor. Filmin sonunda, beyaz kaybediyor. Senin gibi biri bu kadar zekiyken nasıl aptalca düşünür anlamıyorum.

A world where Superman passes as Clark Kent when he wears glasses does exist.