# Passing (film)

Passing is a 2021 American historical drama film written and directed by Rebecca Hall in her feature directorial debut. Adapted from the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen, set in 1920s New York City, the film follows the intertwined life of a black woman (Tessa Thompson) and her white-passing childhood friend (Ruth Negga). Appearing in supporting roles are André Holland, Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and Alexander Skarsgård. It was filmed in black-and-white.
Passing had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, on January 30, 2021, and began a limited theatrical release on October 27, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on November 10.
The film received acclaim from critics, who praised Hall's screenplay and direction, and the performances of Thompson and Negga. The film was named one of the top ten films of 2021 by the African American Film Critics Association. For her performance, Negga was nominated for the Golden Globe Award, the BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress.

## Plot

In 1920s New York City, Irene Redfield, a light-skinned black woman living in Harlem, meets a childhood friend, Clare Bellew, by chance at a hotel dining room. Irene is married to a Black doctor. She learns that Clare has been "passing" as white and has married a wealthy white man from Chicago.
Clare invites Irene to her hotel room, so they can talk more openly. Clare explains that after her father died, she was raised by her two white aunts. She married her husband, John, when she was very young. They are interrupted by John, who openly despises and degrades Black people, unaware of his wife's or Irene's racial background. Irene leaves the hotel, angry with Clare, and refuses to respond when Clare writes to her. However, after Clare unexpectedly shows up at Irene's home and apologizes for the encounter, they rekindle their friendship.
Clare wants to associate with Black people again and invites herself to a dance party that Irene is organizing. Most of the guests at the party find Clare charming, including Irene's husband, Brian. That evening, Irene reveals Clare's secret to her friend, novel writer Hugh Wentworth, who seems less impressed with Clare than the others.
As time passes, Clare becomes involved in all aspects of Irene's life, often joining Irene and Brian to their outings. At first, Irene seems happy to have Clare around, but soon she becomes disillusioned with her and starts to resent her presence. Brian, also dissatisfied, attempts to teach his and Irene's children about some of the harshness of racism in America, as Irene refuses to move anywhere else. Irene believes that the children are too young to learn about the worst events and she and Brian argue about it, further straining their marriage. Brian invites Clare to a tea party from which Irene has purposely excluded her.
When out shopping with her friend, Felise, who is obviously Black, Irene encounters John. She hurries away, as he begins to realize the truth about his wife's racial background. Irene tries to warn Clare but decides against it when she is unable to reach her by phone.
As Brian, Irene, and Clare are on their way to Felise's Christmas party on the top floor of a six-story building, Irene asks Clare what she would do if John ever learned the truth. Clare replies that she would move back to Harlem to be with Irene, who is troubled by this. During the party, Irene remains silent, avoiding the other guests. She opens a large vertical window to smoke.
Suddenly, John angrily forces himself into the apartment demanding to see Clare. She remains calm and moves next to Irene who is standing by the window. John accuses her of being a "dirty liar" and lunges towards her. Clare falls backward out of the window, but it is not clear whether John or Irene pushed her or if she deliberately jumped.
In horror, the other guests rush outside, not knowing whether Clare is dead. Irene slowly goes downstairs, where the police are questioning guests. Brian says that he believes John pushed Clare, but, when asked, Irene says that she believes the fall was an accident. The film ends with the police declaring death by misadventure, Irene sobbing in Brian's arms, and Clare's body being carried away by medics.

## Cast

* Tessa Thompson as Irene "Reenie" Redfield
* Ruth Negga as Clare Bellew
* André Holland as Brian Redfield
* Bill Camp as Hugh Wentworth
* Alexander Skarsgård as John Bellew
* Gbenga Akinnagbe as Dave Freedland
* Antoinette Crowe-Legacy as Felise
* Ashley Ware Jenkins as Zu

## Production

It was announced in August 2018 that Rebecca Hall would be making her directorial debut on the adaptation of the Nella Larsen novel, with Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga set to star in the lead roles.
Hall had begun writing the screenplay a decade earlier, upon reflecting on her own family's history. Her American mother, opera singer Maria Ewing, was of mixed race and some of her relatives passed as white, while her father was a white British film and theatre director.
When Hall presented Negga with a screenplay, the actress decided to collaborate to get the film made. She was surprised that Larsen's novel was not better known, as she had been "completely astounded,” when reading it. Thompson said that the film would be shot in black and white, to represent the texture of the period.
André Holland was cast in October 2019. In November 2019, Alexander Skarsgård joined the cast.
With less than a month to go before filming and production set to begin, Hall was still $500,000 short on her desired $10 million budget. She applied for two grants, to cover the difference. Filming began in November 2019, in New York City.
The film is in black and white. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian praised the use of a 4:3 aspect ratio, as in this film, it was "both fitting and practical, given a smaller budget". Into the third week of filming, the Hugh Wentworth role, originally intended for Benedict Cumberbatch, remained uncast. Budgetary realities and the tight filming timeline meant the production would need an actor who lived in New York. On November 21, Bill Camp signed on, and filming wrapped in December after a 23-day shoot.

## Release

Passing had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2021. Shortly after, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film for around $15 million. It also screened at the New York Film Festival on October 3, 2021. The film had a limited theatrical release on October 27, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on November 10.
According to Samba TV, the film was watched in 653,000 households over its first three days of release.

## Reception
### Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 250 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "While Passing's delicate approach has a dampening effect on its story, debuting director Rebecca Hall makes the most of an impressive cast—and handles thorny themes with impressive dexterity." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Kevin Maher of The Times gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it, "a mesmerizing, deeply disquieting experience." Jessica Kiang, writing for Variety, said that the film is "unerring, deceptively delicate, quiet and immaculate, like that final fall of snow."
In his review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw praised Hall's direction, calling the film, "a very stylish piece of work from Hall." Benjamin Lee of The Guardian, gave the film a negative review of 2 out of 5 stars, arguing that it had "disappointing lack of verve" and was "inert".
The performances of Negga and Thompson, in particular, received praise. In a very positive review for the Chicago Tribune, Michael Phillips gave the film a perfect score of four out of four stars and wrote of their performances: "What Thompson and Negga accomplish on screen, in this extraordinarily detailed portrait, becomes a master class in incremental revelations." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter lauded Thompson for her "unshowy, beautifully internalized performance,” and Simran Hans called Negga "magnetic" in her review for The Guardian. In Time Magazine's annual list, Stephanie Zacharek ranked Negga's performance among the ten best of 2021.
Filmmaker Antonio Campos praised the film, calling it "one of the strongest debut features I've ever seen. Rebecca [Hall]'s grasp of visual storytelling is astounding. It's one thing to know where to put the camera and compose a shot, but to understand how to convey your themes visually is something that even experienced filmmakers struggle with. Rebecca's use of negative space, light and shadow, along with her choices in what was shown and what wasn't to convey not only suspense but her characters' internal struggles, exhibits such a mastery of craft that it is hard to believe she hasn’t been making films her whole life."

## Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| African-American Film Critics Association | January 17, 2022 | Top Ten Films of 2021 | Passing | 5th place |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Picture | Passing | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Director | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Actress | Tessa Thompson | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Screenplay, Adapted | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Cinematography | Eduard Grau | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Woman Director | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Best Woman Screenwriter | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 25, 2022 | Most Daring Performance | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Artios Awards | March 17, 2022 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Studio or Independent (Drama) | Laura Rosenthal and Kimberly Ostroy | Nominated |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 11, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 11, 2022 | Best First Film | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | March 13, 2022 | Outstanding British Film | Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Rebecca Hall and Margot Hand | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | March 13, 2022 | Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | March 13, 2022 | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Tessa Thompson | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | March 13, 2022 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Rebecca Hall and Margot Hand | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Director | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Actress | Tessa Thompson | Won |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor | André Holland | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Won |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Ensemble | Kim Ostroy and Laura Rosenthal | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Original Score | Devonté Hynes | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Emerging Director | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding First Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Won |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Cinematography | Edu Grau | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Costume Design | Marci Rodgers | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Production Design | Nora Mendis | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 15, 2021 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Won |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 15, 2021 | Milos Stehlik Breakthrough Filmmaker Award | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 20, 2021 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | 5th place |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | March 12, 2022 | Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 22, 2021 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Runner-up |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 22, 2021 | Best First Film | Rebecca Hall | Runner-up |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 14, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 9, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 29, 2021 | Best Feature | Passing | Nominated |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 29, 2021 | Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 29, 2021 | Best Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 29, 2021 | Outstanding Lead Performance | Tessa Thompson | Nominated |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 29, 2021 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 1, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Won |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 1, 2022 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 1, 2022 | Breakthrough Director | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Hollywood Creative Alliance | February 28, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Hollywood Creative Alliance | February 28, 2022 | Best Director | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Hollywood Creative Alliance | February 28, 2022 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Hollywood Creative Alliance | February 28, 2022 | Best First Feature | Passing | Nominated |
| Independent Spirit Awards | March 6, 2022 | Best Supporting Female | Ruth Negga | Won |
| Independent Spirit Awards | March 6, 2022 | Best Cinematography | Eduard Grau | Won |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 13, 2021 | Best Film | Passing | 9th place |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 13, 2021 | Best Performance | Tessa Thompson | 7th place |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 13, 2021 | Best Cinematography | Eduard Grau | 8th place |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 13, 2021 | Best First Feature | Rebecca Hall | Runner-up |
| International Cinephile Society | February 6, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Won |
| International Cinephile Society | February 6, 2022 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| International Cinephile Society | February 6, 2022 | Best Debut Feature | Rebecca Hall | Runner-up |
| London Film Critics' Circle | February 7, 2022 | Supporting Actress of the Year | Ruth Negga | Won |
| London Film Critics' Circle | February 7, 2022 | British/Irish Actress of the Year | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| London Film Critics' Circle | February 7, 2022 | Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker | Rebecca Hall | Won |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 8, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Won |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 12, 2021 | Best Actress | Tessa Thompson | Won |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 12, 2021 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Won |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 12, 2021 | Best Debut Director | Rebecca Hall | Won |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 12, 2021 | Top Ten Films | Passing | Won |
| Online Film Critics Society | January 24, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Online Film Critics Society | January 24, 2022 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Online Film Critics Society | January 24, 2022 | Best Breakthrough Filmmaker | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 10, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Won |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 10, 2022 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | January 10, 2022 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | January 10, 2022 | Best Actress | Tessa Thompson | Nominated |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | January 10, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | April 2, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | April 2, 2022 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Rebecca Hall and Nella Larsen | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | January 17, 2022 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 19, 2021 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Nominated |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | January 16, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Negga | Runner-up |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | January 16, 2022 | Best First Feature | Rebecca Hall | Runner-up |
| USC Scripter Awards | February 26, 2022 | Film Adaptation | Rebecca Hall | Nominated |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 6, 2021 | Best Actress | Tessa Thompson | Nominated |