Passages, the new film by acclaimed American director Ira Sachs, has the potential to be one of my favorite films of the year. A love triangle of sadness set in Paris, the film explores the intricacy of modern relationships and how sticky they can become when a sexual awakening threatens to disrupt the dynamic. Making its premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Passages is a rapture of desire and sexual fluidity.
Passages stars Franz Rogowski (Transit) as Tomas, a queer German film director who struggles with unexpected lust for a woman after the completion of shooting his passion project. The security Tomas once felt in his marriage to his partner Martin (Ben Whishaw, Women Talking), is shaken when he lays eyes on the beautiful Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is the Warmest Color) at his film’s wrap party. Naturally seductive and charismatic, Agathe persuades Tomas to follow her to the dance floor after Martin turns down Tomas’s pleas to dance, citing an early wake-up call the next day. In the middle of a crowded club, electro-disco blaring, Tomas and Agathe move in complete synchronicity. Their first encounter doesn’t quite reach a palpable sexual tension, but rather an intriguing curiosity and flirtation.
Tomas ends up spending the night with Agathe and immediately tells Martin about his sexual deviation the next morning. Martin is understanding of Tomas’s desire for exploration but somewhat dismisses the event as a one-time thing. After all, Tomas isn’t attracted to women, or so Martin thinks. The bisexual grey zone Tomas finds himself straddling becomes almost too unbearable. He can’t stop thinking about Agathe, his uncaged animalistic desire to spend time with her, sleep with her, and build a concurrent life with her becomes what he now desires. He’s fallen in love with her, and her with him, but anytime Tomas feels too removed from Martin, he also can’t help but crawl his way back into Martin’s life too.
Ira Sachs’s seductive, NC-17 drama continues in a rather exhausting way for Tomas. His displays of love toward Agathe and Martin are expressed and then squandered as Tomas realizes that choosing between the two proves impossible. Things get even more complicated when Agathe reveals something that will change the course of Tomas and Martin’s life forever.
Bringing empathy to an otherwise self-absorbed character, Franz Rogowski gives one of the best performances of his career. He is a magnet on screen, visibly working through a never-ending stream of complicated emotions. Acting opposite him as his dejected lover is Ben Whishaw, whose own character’s journey is fascinating. Don’t mistake his quietness for weakness, as Martin seems to be the ultimate voice of reason in the film. Adèle Exarchopoulos once again proves her star power with an incredible turn as Agathe, the strong-willed Parisian whose self-imposed blinders to Tomas’s double life is a constant, depleting struggle.
It’s no surprise that Passages is expertly crafted, from the set design to the styling and soundtrack. In the early moments of the film, when Tomas and Agathe meet for the first time, the song that accompanies this crucial moment has the lyrics, “I know you but I want to know you more” – an obvious foreshadowing of their tumultuous love affair. The film ends with a jazz piece, symbolic of chaos and disorientation.
Passages, distributed by MUBI, is an unconventional love story for modern times. From top to bottom, it’s an unforgettable watch that leaves ripples of desire and despair in its wake.
