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The Passing

Name: The Passing
Director: Gareth Bryn
Released: 2015
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

6.0/10

Good

2015

Director

Gareth Bryn

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Passing offers a sophisticated thematic framework that contrasts with its traditional demographic profile. It uses a remote Welsh landscape to deconstruct historical stability and institutional morality, providing a progressive look at how broader social changes impact community bonds. While the film's visual landscape remains largely homogeneous and follows traditional romantic frameworks, its narrative structure is intellectually ambitious. It prioritizes the exploration of trauma and moral relativism over diverse casting or explicit identity politics. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its critique of established institutions. It succeeds in portraying the tension between temporal reality and the lingering echoes of a tragic past.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Passing have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on a romantic relationship between two main characters but does not explicitly address non-straight identities or challenge the assumption that everyone is straight. It also does not provide narratives that question the idea that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does The Passing portray gender?

Fair

The film presents gendered roles where characters are placed in survivalist situations. While this challenges some traditional gender expectations, it does not offer a sustained critique of male-dominated hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Passing?

Limited

The casting reflects the demographics of a remote, historical Welsh setting. The story focuses on a localized, homogeneous community rather than diverse ethnic backgrounds.

How does The Passing represent religion and culture?

Good

The story stands out by critiquing modern Western structures through a 'lost world' setting. It uses moral relativism to show how historical trauma challenges traditional social orders.

Does The Passing include disability representation?

Fair

Psychological trauma serves as an atmospheric and plot-driving device. The film avoids inspirational stories but focuses on the mental toll of the characters' pasts rather than their specific actions or decisions.

Present on Screen

Sophisticated deconstruction of historical and institutional stability.
Effective use of moral relativism to explore historical trauma.
Nuanced portrayal of characters navigating survivalist roles.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ representation or critiques of the assumption that everyone is straight.
Homogeneous casting that reflects a limited demographic scope.
Psychological elements function more as atmosphere than character actions.

Official Synopsis

When two young lovers crash their car into a ravine in the remote mountains of Wales, they are plunged into a lost world. Dragged from the river by a mysterious figure, they are taken to a ramshackle farm, a place untouched by time. As events unfold we learn the explosive truth about the young couple’s past. More unsettling still, we discover the ghostly truth about Stanley, and the tragedy of the valley he once called home.

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