Directed by Ira Sachs
Rogowski plays a charismatic, self-involved film director, Tomas, who leaps back and forth between the Parisian apartments of artist husband Martin (Whishaw) and school teacher Agathe (Exarchopoulos). Ss a result it all unravels when a disinterested Martin leaves Tomas’s movie wrap party early, and Tomas hits it off with the younger Agathe on the dancefloor – which continues to the bedroom. Prideful and oblivious, at first Tomas immediately confesses his affair, triggering an ever-teetering love triangle. Sachs’s and Mauricio Zacharias’s bitterly funny script is a whirlwind of raunch, revelations and relapses, exploring the trappings of indulging the impulsiveness of a narcissist.
Trailer
Cast and Creative
COUNTRY – France
LANGUAGE – In English and French with English subtitles
DIRECTOR – Ira Sachs
PRODUCER – Saïd Ben Saïd, Michel Merkt
CAST – Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos
SCREENWRITER – Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias
CINEMATOGRAPHER – Josée Deshaies
EDITOR – Sophie Reine
Gallery
Reviews
Production, Release, US Rating
Filming began on 15 November 2021 in Paris.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 23 January 2023. Shortly after, Mubi acquired distribution rights to the film in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Latin America. It screened in the Panorama section at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2023.
Given that ahead of its U.S. release, the film received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association. Ira Sachs called the rating “A form of cultural censorship that is quite dangerous, particularly in a culture which is already battling, in such extreme ways, the possibility of LGBT imagery to exist”. Mubi issued a statement calling the decision “unexpected” and “deeply disappointing” and said it would release the film in the United States without a rating.
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 90% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website’s critical consensus states: “Elevated by a remarkable Franz Rogowski performance, Passages adds another smart, deeply humanistic film to director/co-writer Ira Sachs’ estimable filmography.” On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of 81 out of 100 based on 16 critic reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”.
Where to See
As a Limited release, Passages will only be shown in select movie theatres across major world markets from 28th June 2023 and 04 August 2023 – as of 07/31/2023
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