The Rebecca Hall-directed Passing may be based on a book written by Nella Larsen in 1929, but the topic is quite relevant in the 21st century.
The story follows two Black women, Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Ruth Negga), who can “pass” as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in late 1920s New York.
After a chance encounter reunites the former childhood friends one summer afternoon, Irene reluctantly allows Clare into her home, where she ingratiates herself to Irene’s husband (André Holland) and family, and soon her larger social circle as well. As their lives become more deeply intertwined, Irene finds her once-steady existence upended by Clare, and Passing becomes a riveting examination of obsession, repression and the lies people tell themselves and others to protect their carefully constructed realities.
Watch the trailer below.
Damn this is gonna bring about tons of conversation and think pieces.
Passing marks the feature directorial debut of Hall and the film made its premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film intimately uses the notion of “passing” to explore not just racial identity but gender and the responsibilities of motherhood, sexuality and the performance of femininity. Passing also stars Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and Alexander Skarsgard. Hall, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, and Margot Hand produce.
Passing will debut in theaters October 27 and will drop on Netflix November 10. The film will also screen at the New York Film Festival on October 3 & 4. Check out the poster below.
