'Passages' Review: 2023's Most Arousing On-Screen Exploration of Desire and Toxic Romance
Courtesy of MUBI.
Ira Sachs' Passages begins on a film set –– some fashion-flavored period piece –– where a German director called Tomas emotionally blows up on his cast and crew as they continually re-shoot a simple scene where the movie's stars descend a staircase. This introductory moment and its tempestuous central character's urge to control the shape of the surrounding world immediately connects to Sach's identity as a filmmaker, laying the groundwork for the deeply personal (oh, and sexy) film to come. Starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, and Adèle Exarchopoulos, a troika of some of cinema's most mesmerizing actors of our time, Passages cuttingly works to explore the selfish passions of Tomas as he forms a topsy-turvy love triangle reflective of the real-life intricacies of selfish desire.
Rogowski plays Tomas, a thirty-something filmmaker living in a wintery Paris with his British husband Martin (Whishaw in a wildly different role from his turn in last year's Women Talking). At the wrap party for Tomas' newest work, the tension caused by the contrasting spirits of the couple is automatically perceptible, solidified when Tomas approaches a woman standing at the bar, saying to her, "It's my party, and my husband doesn't want to dance with me." This woman is Agathe, portrayed by the always-enigmatic Exarchopoulos, who fast agrees to fulfill Tomas' wishes for a dance. While none of this trio may have expected it at the beginning of their evening, this rendezvous will lead to a chaotically romantic quagmire that Tomas initiates to influence all three lives with consequential results.
Courtesy of MUBI.
Riding a narcissistic high after the completion of filming his latest project, Tomas recklessly hurtles into his passionate romance with Agathe with total short-sightedness to its possible ramifications, following the authentic (and irrational) emotion over reason often experienced in the face of love. Sachs interestingly keeps the boundaries of the union between Tomas and Martin modernly ambiguous, injecting their relationship with a complex interiority that distances the audience from their connection, affording it a particular privacy. Still, an early scene where Tomas returns from his first liaison with Agathe portrays Martin's jealousy toward his partner's affairs, which he seems to have endured before, as he says to Tomas, "This always happens when you finish a film." Jealousy is explored throughout Passages with every character, sharply linked to how it is experienced in real life: on distinct terms for everyone and with different catalysts.
The composition of the complex relationships that Sachs (with the assistance of longtime co-writer Mauricio Zacharias) creates with Passages is one of the film's most potent components, through which the director and his actors can mirror the labyrinthic emotions that arise within any endeavor of love or romance in reality. Each character makes blunders in judgment that have varying degrees of impact on themselves and those around them that are only visible in hindsight when it is too late to avoid them. Tomas particularly leads with feeling and sees many of the destructive situations he gets into through rose-colored lenses, only to be punished by his selfish decisions as the film concludes.
In connection to Tomas' creative spirit as a filmmaker, he bears a specific command over the people around him, especially Martin and Agathe, which creates a fascinating exploration of power dynamics as Passages moves forward. As Tomas makes solipsistic choices in his relationships with the two, he never does so with consideration for anything outside of his own desires. In his blossoming romance with Agathe, Tomas alienates his husband and, in turn, the life they have created together. When the naturally submissive Martin begins to separate himself from the destructive effects of Tomas' philosophy, Tomas continues to milk Martin for what he is worth in emotional and physical support, something created by the length of their relationship that he cannot yet find in Agathe, since their connection is so fresh. Tomas uses his affair with Agathe to stimulate rejuvenation after finishing his latest project, intruding on her life as an independent spirit and preying on her idealism. As he rockets towards his self-inflicted collapse, the film's power changes hands from Tomas to Martin and Agathe, who can rediscover their own conditions of love from their toxic experiences.
Courtesy of MUBI.
Although Sachs could not make Passages in his home base of New York City as intended due to financial constraints and funding troubles, the film's relocation to Paris works flawlessly to reinforce the alluring chicness of the film and its characters. Often framed in windows that show off the steely grey skies of the winter outside, the character's interactions mainly play out indoors, detaining their passions and tensions within the constraints of their effortlessly decorated apartments. Tomas, Martin, and Agathe possess unique personal styles that illustrate their artistic spirits and elevate their sensuality differently, often featuring cropped tops and transparent materials. The film's reliance on diegetic music also advances the film's naturalistic mood and romance, heard through record players during late-night parties and over cozy dinners in trendy Parisian cafés.
Passages stands out head-and-shoulders above other movies of 2023 thanks to its subversive explorations of sexuality and sexual politics. The lustful desires of its characters play out onscreen with an entrancing authenticity that is steamy, messy, and perfectly lifelike in ways rarely captured in films. Josée Deshaies's camerawork is rather observant of these intimate moments, maintaining a voyeuristic distance that avoids the awkwardness of many sex scenes by keeping the character's pleasure a secret from the viewer, often shooting these scenes from behind, keeping their faces unseen. A particularly titillating encounter between Martin and Tomas in which the latter is trying to get back into good graces showcases one of the most lifelike cinematic depictions of male-on-male sex in recent memory.
The film's modern edge comes through in Sach's refusal to define the sexual boundaries of his characters, instead portraying them as a sliding scale of queer desire that transcends the conventions of gender, which also ties into its French setting, a place commonly viewed as having a more sexually fluid insight. This rejection of traditional binaries creates a contemporary feeling that electrifies the movie's romance and passion. Tomas' sexual orientation is only questioned once when meeting Agathe's aging parents, who see his sexuality with an outdated perspective as a force that could destabilize their daughter's future. The queerness of Passages serves as the work's most fresh and unique perspective, one that is screaming to be explored through many other stories onscreen because it is comprehensively honest to the human experience.
Passages presents a narrative conundrum in its fast-tracking of Tomas' romantic affair with Agathe. Seemingly taking place in a short expanse of the winter season, audiences must scratch their heads at the dizzying speed of their entanglement. While love often makes us commit these cardinal sins of dating –– like shacking up too fast ––the pace at which Tomas leaves Martin for Agathe would even have the self-titled "U-Haul Lesbian" Lydia Tár questioning the motives behind their rapid commitment to one another.
After the largely negative response to his last film, 2019's Frankie starring Isabelle Huppert, Sachs has returned to a more personal subject through his examinations of a filmmaker in total flux in Passages. His results have paid off, as the movie has received enthusiastic praise from critics and audiences alike for depicting a fantastically complicated and sensual love triangle. As indicated by the clapperboard during the movie's first scene, Tomas' newest work is where the film takes its name, yet by its finale, he is the only one left without a spiritual journey of self-discovery. Passages first premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year before playing at other influential festivals, including Berlin and Provincetown. MUBI will handle the film's release in the U.S. as it makes its way into theaters beginning Friday, August 4th, in New York City and Los Angeles before hitting other cities in the following weeks.