Passing

The directorial début of actor Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Please Give, The Town) is a quiet, unsettling chamber piece photographed in a monochromatic Academy aspect ratio that frames two outstanding lead performances. Passing is an adaptation of Nella Larsen's novel, published in 1929. Set during Prohibition and the Harlem Renaissance, near the end of the Roaring Twenties, the story centers on two childhood friends who reconnect as adults living in New York City under very different circumstances. Both are African-American women, but while Irene (Tessa Thompson) can pass for white—and occasionally does when shopping downtown—she is a progressive Black activist married to a successful Harlem doctor (André Holland) and the mother of two black sons. Whereas Clare (Ruth Negga), who was raised by white aunts after her biracial father died, has been passing as white ever since. Clare is even married to a racist white banker (Alexander Skarsgård) who believes she and their daughter are both of pure Caucasian blood.

Once the two women rekindle their friendship, Clare’s desire to be part of Black life again without giving up her white privilege becomes possible. Irene, who has always been happy in her skin, her marriage, and her bourgeois lifestyle, is both drawn to and repelled by Clare’s ability to have things both ways. The film is a deliberately paced exploration of this specific relationship and the fluidity of both women’s identities.

Hall, whose maternal grandfather passed for white and hid that fact from everyone in his family, has an affinity for the source material, and her fascination with the story carries over to the viewer. Being a cool, understated, yet strikingly compelling actor herself, it’s no surprise that what stands out most in Hall’s first feature are the complex and layered lead performances. Negga, who starred as Mildred Loving in Jeff Nichols’ docudrama Loving (2016) about the Supreme Court case that invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage, is spellbinding as Clare. She makes this character simultaneously alluring, threatening, and tragic; transfixing the viewer each time she enters the frame. 

Thompson, whose star has been on the rise since 2014 when she starred in Dear White People and followed it up with Creed (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and Sorry to Bother You (2018)—not to mention her best film, Nia DaCosta’s Little Woods (2018)—delivers the goods in an even more challenging role. The story is told from Irene’s point of view, and much of the “action” occurs within Irene’s heart and mind. She is constantly wrestling with her self-image and the contradictions within her perceptions of the world and the life she’s created for herself. 

Most of the best moments in Passing play out on the faces of the two lead actresses. Hall’s directorial style may be a tad too self-conscious and tightly controlled, but that isn’t a drawback when it comes to a story like this. The picture possesses an authentic look, sound, and feel that elevate it beyond a mere showcase for great acting.