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IMDbPro

Passing

  • 20212021
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in Passing (2021)
Adapted from the celebrated 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen, PASSING tells the story of two Black women, Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Academy Award nominee 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.
Play trailer1:53
6 Videos
45 Photos
Drama
"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities."Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities."Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
15K
YOUR RATING
    • Rebecca Hall
    • Rebecca Hall
    • Nella Larsen(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Tessa Thompson
    • Ruth Negga
    • André Holland
    • Rebecca Hall
    • Rebecca Hall
    • Nella Larsen(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Tessa Thompson
    • Ruth Negga
    • André Holland
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 167User reviews
    • 178Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 BAFTA Awards

    Videos6

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:53
    Watch Official Trailer
    Passing
    Trailer 2:04
    Watch Passing
    7 Films and Performances to Watch That the Oscars Missed
    Clip 2:17
    Watch 7 Films and Performances to Watch That the Oscars Missed
    The Most Anticipated TV Shows and Movies to Stream in November 2021
    Clip 2:45
    Watch The Most Anticipated TV Shows and Movies to Stream in November 2021
    Breakout Performances Before They Were 2021 Sundance Stars
    Clip 2:32
    Watch Breakout Performances Before They Were 2021 Sundance Stars
    Sundance 2021 Record-Breakers & Must-See Movies
    Clip 3:49
    Watch Sundance 2021 Record-Breakers & Must-See Movies

    Photos45

    Ruth Negga in Passing (2021)
    Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in Passing (2021)
    Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in Passing (2021)
    Jay Duplass (/name/nm0243231), Eduard Grau (/name/nm1880996), and Mark Duplass (/name/nm0243233) at The IMDb Portrait Studio at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards
    Eduard Grau (/name/nm1880996) at The IMDb Portrait Studio at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards
    Ruth Negga at an event for Passing (2021)
    Passing (2021)
    Passing (2021)
    Passing (2021)
    Passing (2021)
    Passing (2021)
    Passing (2021)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tessa Thompson
    Tessa Thompson
    • Irene
    Ruth Negga
    Ruth Negga
    • Clare
    André Holland
    André Holland
    • Brian
    Bill Camp
    Bill Camp
    • Hugh
    Gbenga Akinnagbe
    Gbenga Akinnagbe
    • Dave
    Antoinette Crowe-Legacy
    Antoinette Crowe-Legacy
    • Felise
    Alexander Skarsgård
    Alexander Skarsgård
    • John
    Justus Davis Graham
    Justus Davis Graham
    • Ted
    Ethan Barrett
    Ethan Barrett
    • Junior
    Ashley Ware Jenkins
    Ashley Ware Jenkins
    • Zulena
    Stu S. Becker
    • Cabbie
    Tom White
    Tom White
    • Attendant
    Margaret Daly
    Margaret Daly
    • Woman #1
    Kerry Flanagan
    • Woman #2
    Buzz Roddy
    Buzz Roddy
    • Officer
    Derek Roberts
    Derek Roberts
    • Guest
    Amos J. Machanic
    • Ralph Hazelton
    • (as Amos Machanic)
    Amber Barbee Pickens
    Amber Barbee Pickens
    • Dancer
    • (as Amber Pickens)
      • Rebecca Hall
      • Rebecca Hall
      • Nella Larsen(based on the novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The term "passing" refers to the practice of members of minority or oppressed races, religions, ethnic groups, etc., pretending to be white (or otherwise members of the majority culture) to escape prejudice. The writer/director of this movie, Rebecca Hall, is better known as an actress; although she has almost only ever been cast as white characters, she is part African American. In a 2018 interview with Deadline, Hall said, "I came across the novel at a time when I was trying to reckon creatively with some of my personal family history, and the mystery surrounding my biracial grandfather on my American mother's side. In part, making this film is an exploration of that history, to which I've never really had access."
    • Goofs
      The toy cars in the early stage of the movie were not possible to be made in the '20s as the toy cars from that era could not be produced at contemporary precision. Such precision was not possible until the '90s. Toy cars from the '30s usually had blunt axles without transparent windows nor interior.
    • Quotes

      Irene: We're all passing for something or other, aren't we?

    • Connections
      Featured in CBS News Sunday Morning: 10-24-2021 (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      The Homeless Wanderer
      Written and Performed by Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou

      Courtesy of The Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Foundation

    User reviews167

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Dynamic period piece and winner for talented actress, writer, director Rebecca Hall.
    "We're all passing for something or other, aren't we?" Irene (Tessa Thompson)

    Director Rebecca Hall's successful full-length debut, Passing, shows her artistic inclination to depict women on the verge of breaking away. Irene is a Black woman in the 1920's who could "pass" for white but just spends some time in the white world, being served and accepted in part because she is light skinned.

    Now, her friend from her youth, Clare, consciously passes for white, and marries a racist who would kill if he knew his wife were Black. Although nothing shattering happens through most of the story, the racial divide is pronounced between white uptown and Harlem, where Irene and her husband, Brian, a doctor, live in a brownstone with a black maid and the two children he tries to prepare for a racist world they have yet to overcome.

    As Clare continues to mingle with Irene's Black social life, Irene quietly assesses Clare's free-spirit and seems gently attracted to Clare. Yet, those feelings are Hall's quiet way of emphasizing the multifaced societal changes in a now truly reconstructed way.

    Hall uses a crisp black and white image to accentuate the stark racial differences and the sterile laboratory-like world of incremental societal change. It's also an effective period enhancer. The title "Passing" carries multiple meanings fraught with the dark and light of good clashing with evil.

    I couldn't help thinking of Fitzgerald's Gatsby, himself an interloper having romantic notions ill-suited to a society he crashes with dire consequences. Hall has caught the ironies and ambiguities of a society in change.

    It isn't all pretty but generally a gorgeous palette with which promising neophyte Hall paints. Isn't it the truth: "I'm beginning to believe that no one is ever completely happy, free, or safe"? Irene

    One of the best movies of the year.
    helpful•15
    1
    • jdesando
    • Dec 30, 2021

    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 10, 2021 (United States)
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Canada
      • Official Netflix
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • AUM Group
      • Film4
      • Flat Five Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 38 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Dolby Digital

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