In conversations with colleagues about Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, Passing, about two Black women in 1920s New York who can pass for white, we figured an acquisition by a steaming service was likely. And that is exactly what happened, as Netflix has officially picked up the film for release later this year.
PASSING, the Sundance directorial debut from Rebecca Hall, is officially coming to Netflix!
Starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga as two childhood friends, the film — shot in gorgeous black-and-white — is an exploration of racial identity set in 1920s New York. pic.twitter.com/l7AWwrYfXE
— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) February 4, 2021
In her first time behind the camera, Hall adapts the 1929 novel by Nella Larsen. Tessa Thompson stars as Irene, a family woman, and Ruth Negg as Clare, a high school friend who lives her life with a wild streak. Both are light-skinned and can pass as white, but have chosen to live on different sides of the color line, causing conflicts that threaten to tear them apart.
Passing was one of the best films I saw at Sundance this year, and I knew it would be picked up by someone who would appreciate the prestige quality of it. Netflix hasn’t set a release date, but considering the movie is finished, don’t expect to wait long.
