Netflix’s Passing is a 2021 black and white film, directed, written, and produced by Rebecca Hall. The novel of Nella Larsen of the same name inspired the film. Passing is referred to those African-Americans whose skin color is not white or black enough. The film has received a lot of positive critical reviews, especially for Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga.

The feature film was visualized beautifully, with unease tension and the ongoing tension between two women with a secret.

Journey from book to movie

Rebecca Hall’s grandfather was himself a black man, as told by the director in many interviews, but she spent her whole life as white. So, the novel Passing made her realize the importance of the situation. The film has a powerful message about racism and one’s identity. She claims, “It’s only really through this journey of making this movie, and spending so much time with this book, that I really uncovered that and understood it. I’ve found out the history of his family now, things that were obscured and erased. I’ve managed to get it back into my family’s life.” 

She also added that Larsen’s novel was an international tome. The book explores different aspects of women under the patriarchy, fluidity around sexual choices and boundaries, homosexuality, and heterosexuality. Still Watching Netflix has recently uploaded a video on their YouTube channel about how this 100-year-old novel inspires our director. In return, Hall explains to the host that when she read this book, she found a context and relate herself to the plot. She have no idea that there was even a word named, “passing”. The book has something for many people of this color, and they had to get a better life for themselves.

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Andre Holland explains that identity and where they belong are two the most important aspects of a human being. He explains, “First to me like, as a culture wherein a place what is the question about the identity and belonging, are a sort of mine of a people and they seem to be a willingness to discuss them and to wrestle with the truth of things. So, I have experienced this in my lifetime.

He also added that the culture is ready for this conversation, and the film offers that conversation.