I love you. Boy, you are nervous!

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's Top 50 Films of 2021

#22 : Passing

Rebecca Hall’s directing debut is a stylish and subtle study of racial identity, starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga as friends who are both “passing” for what they are not, in an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel.

I've heard this is good, but never felt the slightest inclination to watch it - I'm expecting something very stylish, skilful and well acted (Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are no slouches in this department) but a little too literary and/or theatrical for my tastes.  And yes, I realise I'm basing this on almost nothing, but we all make our little assumptions, don't we?  I think another part of the problem is that films where people are pretending to be something they're not rarely end well - and I never like going in to a film where I'm expecting things to go badly.

Whatever I was assuming, I wasn't expecting a black and white film with a 4:3 aspect ratio.  Given the film's subject, then I guess black and white seems somewhat appropriate but I just assumed that 1920s New York would lend itself to colour.  Particularly the scenes at the dance - they would have looked fabulous, but felt a little too muted in black and white for me.

It's quite an interesting story around a chance encounter between Clare and Irene who were childhood friends and whose lives have diverged since - and the rest of the film follows how their relationship redevelops.  The big questions it tries to address are what can cause you to re-evaluate your life and question whether everything you have is what you really want and whether we aren't all really deceiving ourselves in some way.  Except me, of course - no self-deception going on here!  

The story is a bit confusing at times - some bits of time and the relationship development are skipped over and we're supposed to just keep up.  I also don't understand the situation for African-Americans in 1920s New York, so I don't feel I really "got" the story.  But I'm never really convinced the story is all that important - the film feels more to do with showing off the acting, the sets and the direction.  It really does have quite the ending though - I didn't see that one coming and it's pleasingly ambiguous, although I'm not sure it quite rescues the film from a narrative point of view.

It's very well acted - as expected Tessa and Ruth both do a great job, which I don't really have anything more to say about.  If pushed, I'd say Ruth shades it in terms of taking the honours, but only just.  I also liked André Holland - I'd forgotten where I'd seen him before but it was obviously in Moonlight which had a slightly more contemporary take on the African-American experience (and it's well worth a watch if you haven't seen it).

It's all very well directed with some beautiful lingering shots, although possibly a little too lingering at times and there's also a bit too much staring into the middle distance.  The retro scenes are all done very well, being super stylish with lovely period details - both in terns if costumes and locations.  The internet tells me it's the book was written in 1929, so it's interesting that the story was contemporary at the time it was originally told and that's translated well onto the screen here.

All in all, it's a beautiful looking thing which probably says lots of things to some people, but doesn't really say anything to me - I'm glad I watched it, but can't say it'll be happening again.  I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to either - it's probably more for those that like "the cinema" as opposed to "movies" (and I bet it does look fabulous on the big screen).

At the time of writing, it's available to watch on Netflix - I'd say there are worse uses of your time, but you'd have to be in the mood for it.

#23 - A good film which isn't really all that good
#21 - Watch this space!