One of my favorite movies to emerge from Sundance this year was Passages, Ira Sachs’ latest film about a doomed same-sex relationship. The film features a charismatic performance by Franz Rogowski as Tomas, a filmmaker and bisexual fuckboy who enters into a chaotic love triangle with his soft-spoken lover, Martin, played by Ben Whishaw, and the sexy Agathe, played by Blue is the Warmest Colour‘s Adèle Exarchopoulos.
I just shot a whole segment on this film for WETA Around Town, so it’s again fresh in my mind. Tomas is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve seen on screen in a while. He’s a total chaos agent, wrecking the hearts of everyone in his wake. The only things he cares about are being the center of attention and his own personal pleasure, but all of this hides deep insecurities. Sachs invites us to hate Tomas, while recognizing how troubled he really is.
Here’s the synopsis: Set in Paris, this seductive drama tells the story of Tomas (Rogowski) and Martin (Whishaw), a gay couple whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas begins a passionate affair with Agathe (Exarchopoulos), a younger woman he meets after completing his latest film.
Passages opens in theaters on August 4th. Check it out if you can!