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Netflix's Passing, the black and white drama directed by Rebecca Hall, stands out as one of the best Netflix movies to be released this year. The Netflix synopsis of the film reads,
"In 1920s New York City a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who is passing as white."
What does it mean to be "passing"? Who can "pass"? Why would someone give up their identity to "pass" off as someone else? Rebecca Hall's Passing attempts to answer these complex questions and investigate raciality and racial prejudice through the reunion of two colored women in New York City.
What is 'Passing'?
Passing follows the life of two colored childhood friends, Irene and Clare, who are united in their adulthood. Irene, married to a black doctor and with two sons, has a happy life as a colored woman. Clare, on the other hand, passed off as a white woman. She was married to a racially prejudiced white man, John, whom she had fooled into believing that she was white. The two chanced upon one another on a hot and sweltering day and Clare took Irene to her room where they caught up with one another over tea.
Irene was visibly uncomfortable with the whole situation and did not respond to Clare's repeated attempts to keep in touch. However, Clare was determined to have her childhood friend back. She had been "passing" for so long now but she missed her old life and yearned to be around colored people again. Clare won over Irene's friends and family with her beauty and charm and attached herself to Irene's family.
'Passing': how does it end?
While Clare comes to dominate Irene's life, Irene is visibly distressed. She is afraid and insecure as Clare grows closer to her husband and even children. Irene began withdrawing.
One day at one of Irene's parties, John, Clare's husband, barges in suspecting his wife was associating with "Negros". He goes to confront Clare but she topples over the window of the sixth floor apartment and falls to her death.
Clare was calm when her livid husband approached her. However, within a fraction of a second she toppled over leading us to believe that maybe it was accidental. But before she fell, the last person to touch her was Irene. It seemed like Irene was trying to protect Clare from her husband, but she could also have easily pushed her over. One can also deduce the scene as a suicide, given how composed she was when she saw her husband - like it did not even matter to her anymore that she was caught.The ending is left ambiguous deliberately and it is on the viewers to figure it out.
Passing is one of those movies that leave an impression. Rebecca Hall's directorial debut starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga is a must watch, especially for the themes that the movie seems to tackle. Catch the film streaming on Netflix now.
