MOVIE TRAILERS

Tessa Thompson & Ruth Negga in Rebecca Hall's 'Passing' Trailer

by Alex Billington
September 21, 2021
Source: YouTube

"Things aren't always what they seem…" The New York Film Festival has unveiled an official trailer for the B&W indie film Passing, marking the feature directorial debut of acclaimed British actress Rebecca Hall. This originally premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier in the year, and is playing at the NYFF next as well as the Hamptons and London Film Festivals this fall. Passing follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities. Set in 1920s in NYC, the title refers to two Black women who can dress up to "pass" as white women and live a totally different life. Described as "an elegant psychological thriller about obsession, repression, and the lies people tell themselves and others to protect their carefully constructed realities." Starring Tessa Thompson & Ruth Negga, plus André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp, Ashley Ware Jenkins, and Gbenga Akinnagbe. Based on all the buzz, this is worth a look.

Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Rebecca Hall's Passing, direct from NYFF's YouTube:

Full description from Sundance: "Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson), 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." Passing is both written and directed by British actress-turned-filmmaker Rebecca Hall, making her directorial debut with this film. Adapted from Nella Larsen's novella. Produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi, Rebecca Hall, Margot Hand, and Forest Whitaker. This first premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and is also playing at the NYFF. Netflix will debut Hall's Passing streaming on Netflix starting November 10th, 2021 this fall. Look good?

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