Two school friends are unexpectedly reunited in very unusual circumstances in 1920s New York.
Shopping outside Harlem, dressed in the latest demure fashions, Irene (Tessa Thompson – Creed, Thor: Ragnarok) bumps into Clare (Ruth Negga – Loving, TV’s Preacher), a woman passing as white and married to a wealthy racial bigot, Alexander Skarsgård (The Legend of Tarzan, TV’s True Blood). Exploring the fear and thrill of discovery, Clare keeps returning to the New York of her childhood, stirring mixed emotions for Irene and her doctor husband, Brian (André Holland – Moonlight, Selma) both of whom identify as proud Black Americans.
Adapted from the 1929 Nella Larsen novel, Passing, with its nuanced understatement, is a quiet, reflective chamber piece of identity, desire and acceptance expertly presented in its grey tonal palette by debutant writer/director Rebecca Hall.
Rating: 71%
An Opinion or Two 