Passing

2021 Drama | Suspense/Thriller
62%

Irene Redfield, a refined, upper-class 1920s woman, finds breezy refuge from a hot summer day in the grand tearoom of New York City's Drayton Hotel. Across the room, she spots a blond woman staring her down. Irene wants to steal away, but before she can, Clare Kendry (Ruth Negga) rushes over to stop her. It turns out the two were in high school together, and while both are African American women who can pass as white, they have chosen to live on opposite sides of the color line. Now, their renewed acquaintance threatens them both.

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Our Review

by Brian Lloyd
Star Rating:

'Passing' is an elegant but sometimes impenetrable drama

After leaving Harlem several years ago, Claire Bellew (Ruth Negga) reconnects with her childhood friend Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson). Claire is now passing as a white woman, and is married to John Bellew (Alexander Skarsgard), who is openly hostile to black people and is unaware that Claire is mixed-race. As Claire and Irene's lives begin to intertwine, Irene's own insecurities begin to resurface...

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