Directed By Ira Sachs

Starring – Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adele Exarchopoulos

The Plot – A gay couple’s (Rogowski, Whishaw) marriage is thrown into crisis when one of them impulsively begins a passionate affair with a young woman (Exarchopoulos).

Rated NC-17 for intense sex sequences and adult language

PASSAGES | Official Trailer | Coming Soon – YouTube

POSITIVES

Once in a while, a film comes along that reshapes gay perception in cinema, granting us an unapologetically fearless insight into the particulars of certain relationship dynamics that scream compelling storytelling. Sachs is one of the most prominent figures at this, with a rich history of daring cinema ranging from 2012’s “Keep the Lights On”, to 2014’s “Love is Strange”, but perhaps his biggest controversial conversation starter springs with “Passages”, which not only vividly depicts gay sexual acts in the same manner as straight relations, garnering academy hypocrisy as it’s given an NC-17 rating for doing so, but also zeroes in on the unpredictably turbulent tribulations of bi-sexual dating and the many lives at stake because one person struggles with their own sexual clarity. This makes “Passages” a sharply stinging, albeit familiar, experience, but one that is enhanced assuringly by Sachs impeccable direction and scintillating screenplay, which knows how to naturally ingrain and unravel scenes of tension between two people who at least initially we felt were passionately in love. Sachs’ dialogue here is simply brilliant, conveying the magnitude and depreciation of the gay couple at the forefront of the narrative, which is realized both in the way the two men treat each other, with Whishaw’s Martin often being the doormat for Rogowski’s Tomas, but also in the ambiguity of words carefully chosen, which require us to hang onto their every word a bit longer, in order to draw out vital exposition that the film wants its faithful audience to pick up on. For presentational qualities, the film is blessed with an intimately warm brand of cinematography which simultaneously brings out the beauty of love during its most glowing stages, and cruely unforgiving during scenes of distancing conflict, with three-dimensional character framing to serve as the cherry on a stylistic sundae. On top of this, Sachs is aided by the emotional heavy lifting of his gifted trio, with ample instances for each of them to triumph. Rogowski brings with him the same abundance of undeniable depth that has already cemented so many eclectic characters in his range, but as Tomas conveys the internal struggle that defines his actions and the consequences of the the other two characters he continuously pulls along. Because of such, he shares a very weathered but effectively lived-in brand of chemistry with Whishaw, where each feel like the best and worst thing to happen to one another, with Exarchopolous’ Agathe coincidingly feeling like the defining link that could draw them closer, or entirely break them apart. Whishaw’s empathetic factor is on full display here with a nourishing tenderness, and Exarchopolous’ eyes and corresponding facial registries occasionally feel like the coal that burns the hottest furnace.

NEGATIVES

The differences between a good and great film feel the further than ever, with a couple of key decisions that limit the accessibility of “Passages” to its curiousity-seeking audience. As to where the script does a great job of indulging in naturalistic conversation and lived-in realism of its central couple, the consistency of its structure continuously condencing the scope of the exploration leads to several instances of spontaneous events materializing out of literally nowhere. In my opinion, the 86 minute run time could definitely use another 20 minutes to smoothly flesh out some of those bombshell instances that are introduced as an afterthought of sorts to the scenes they accompany, which in turn would accentuate more of the dramatic intensities, which feel nearly absent from the proceedings, until the film’s final ten minutes. These additional minutes could also afford us more time to spend with each couple, so that their outbursts of conflict don’t materialize out of nowhere, granting us a greater insight into the sporadic essence of Tomas’ indecisive consistency, which doesn’t always succesfully paint the argument. Besides this, whether intentional or not, I truly hated following the character of Tomas, who we’re unfortunately saddled with as the official protagonist of this plot. Tomas is every bit selfishly destructive as he is annoyingly immature, making it not only difficult to reason or even momentarily invest in the character, but also increasingly frustrating for the way his ignorance comes across to outsider characters, who are simply attempting to just carry a conversation with him. I’m all for flawed protagonists in dramas, but there is nothing redeeming about his character outline, which makes the climax of the film feel all the more awkward, as I hoped for his inevitable downfall.

OVERALL
“Passages” is emphatically elevated by superb direction and a trio of terrific performances but can’t escape the notion of what could’ve been with a longer run time and bigger scope fleshing out an even deeper character study. As it stands, it’s a good film that wishes to be great, but even that is a vast improvement to gay depiction in cinema’s, which unfortunately is only now receiving the attention it deserves.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-