Starring: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Alexander Skarsgard, Andre Holland, Bill Camp and Gbenga Akinnagbe
Distributor: Netflix
Runtime: 98 mins. Reviewed in Nov 2021
Reviewer: Peter W Sheehan
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This is the story of two African-American women, who reunite in adulthood, and become involved in each other’s lives. One of them had decided to live her life as ‘passing’ for white, and the other did not, and the decisions they’ve made seriously affect them, and their relationship to each other.
This American black-and-white drama is based on the 1929 novella of the same name, by Nella Larsen. The film’s title refers to what happens when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted, or perceived (‘passes’), to be a member of another racial group – for example, on the basis of perceptions of skin colour. The film is the directorial debut of female English director, Rebecca Hall. Actresses, Tessa Thompson, and Ruth Negga are outstanding in the lead roles of Irene Redfield, and Clare Bellew, respectively. The film is set in New York City in the 1920s. Rebecca Hall’s connection to the film is partly autobiographical – biracial members of her extended family, over the years, have ‘passed’ for white.
Irene and Clare haven’t seen each other for years, when they meet unexpectedly in an up-market New York hotel. Irene is married to Brian (Holland), a black doctor, and she nervously shows signs of emotional strain. Clare has decided to ‘pass’ for white, and has married John (Skarsgard), a wealthy white, international banker, who is strongly racist. Clare’s husband has said he wants no black persons ever around him or in his family. Clare reveals to Irene that pretending to be a white woman has helped her in life, and she has practised ‘passing’ to avoid being perceived and treated as a black person. To Clare, black women have always recognised the privileges that come from being treated as white, and she wants the same. Irene and Clare are on opposite sides of the divide, Clare has constructed.
The renewed friendship between Clare and Irene is affected substantially by the dynamic that has opened up between them. They become envious of each other. Ruth wants the good life she perceives Clare has obtained from ‘passing’, and Clare is conflicted for not adopting the principles and morals she admires in Irene. Rebecca Hall sensitively captures the admiration and affection the two women have for each other, and the frustrations that have arisen from their mutual envy. Both know that ‘passing’ is a risky practice.
This is a thought-provoking and challenging movie about racial issues, and racial identity. The film is well directed, and sensitively communicates the problems that Irene and Clare are experiencing. The film’s scripting is razor sharp, full of tense anticipation of problems to come.
The black and white photography is well suited to the tone and mood of the film, and the movie has an attractive jazz score.
The film itself is an emotional journey for two women whose behaviour is motivated by different views of life. Thompson and Negga sensitively capture the ambiguities and affection accompanying their relationship to each other, and their interaction highlights broader issues as well. The film tells us that a firmly established identity is far less concerned with the look of things, than with how life is led and practised in words, thoughts, and actions. Racial identity is negated by the act of ‘passing’ when real identity is falsified, and ‘passing’ forces people into making difficult, and often conflicting, life-choices. The tragedy that such conflict may cause is illustrated powerfully by the film.
This is a movie that subtly asserts the power and force of black identity, and it confronts the meaning of identity choices that stem from the aspiration to be seen to be other than who one really is. Neither Claire nor Irene, after meeting each other again, could attain personal fulfilment, and it comments movingly on the personal interactions they experience in their lives, and what has shaped the identities they have chosen. This is a small gem of a movie that beautifully, and dramatically, illustrates the complexities of racial conflict in fresh, and unusual ways.
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