Passages

Name: Passages
Director: Ira Sachs
Genre: Romance, Drama
Released: 2023
Duration: 1 h 32 min

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Romance
Drama

2023
Ira Sachs
92 mins
18

Summary

Naturalistic sex scenes punctuate writer-director Ira Sachs' provocative romantic drama. Narcissistic film director Tomas (Franz Rogowski) is married to artist Martin (Ben Whishaw), who has reluctantly agreed to an open relationship to feed his husband's need for adoration. At a bar, Tomas meets teacher Agathe (Adele Exarchopoulos) and they sleep together, a dalliance which he proudly shares with Martin. A moment of lust catalyses something deeper and Tomas contemplates pushing the self-destruct button on his marriage to pursue his feelings for Agathe. Provocative romance starring Ben Whishaw

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Jayne Nelson

A man despairs of his cheating husband in a French drama that portrays the latter's self-described "confused" state in profound, often graphically sexual detail. Set in Paris, the film sees Tomas (Franz Rogowski), a German film-maker, strike up a relationship with a woman, Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), destroying his marriage to Martin (Ben Whishaw). But as Tomas tries to settle into his new, more conventional life, he realises he may have made a mistake. Rogowski's astonishing performance blends bitter arrogance with a childlike vulnerability, while the always-reliable Whishaw turns Martin's hurt silences into a powerful, heartbreaking weapon. Only Agathe is left underdeveloped, despite a fine performance from Exarchopoulos: her inner life is, albeit fittingly, swamped by the force of nature that is Tomas. This is an excoriating, intelligent study of a selfish man who doesn't know what he wants, but will take down everyone around him as he tries to find out.

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6.6/10