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Passing

Passing

Drama · 2021

In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.

Movie details

Passing

“Nothing is black and white.”

2021 Drama 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Passing?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Skin

Skin

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Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.

The Man Without a Face

The Man Without a Face

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Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town after his face is disfigured from an automobile accident ten years earlier, in which a boy was incinerated--and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Also suspected of being a paedophile, he is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicions and hostility to be ignited.

Fast Girls

Fast Girls

Drama · 2012

A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.

A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown

Drama · 2024

New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.

The Namesake

The Namesake

Drama · 2006

The American-born son of Indian immigrants strives to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways.

Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine

Drama · 2013

After experiencing a traumatic misfortune, Jasmine French, a wealthy woman from New York, moves to San Francisco to live with her foster sister Ginger and the firm purpose of getting a new life, but she will be haunted by anxiety and memories of the past.

What Maisie Knew

What Maisie Knew

Drama · 2013

In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.

42

42

Drama · 2013

In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball facing unabashed racism from the public, the press and other players.

Gigi & Nate

Gigi & Nate

Drama · 2022

A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.

The Help

The Help

Drama · 2011

Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Rebecca Hall

Written by

Rebecca Hall

Tessa Thompson

Tessa Thompson

Irene Redfield

Ruth Negga

Ruth Negga

Clare Kendry

André Holland

André Holland

Brian Redfield

Alexander Skarsgård

Alexander Skarsgård

John Bellew

Bill Camp

Bill Camp

Hugh Wentworth

Gbenga Akinnagbe

Gbenga Akinnagbe

Dave

Antoinette Crowe-Legacy

Antoinette Crowe-Legacy

Felise

Court is in session

Put Passing on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.