Rebecca Hall, the star of The Night House, Godzilla Vs. Kong and Woody Allen’s Vicky Christina Barcelona, is about to weigh in with her brand new directorial debut, the monochrome Netflix release, Passing.
Starring Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson, Hall has adapted the script from the celebrated 1929 novel of the same name by writer Nella Larsen. Passing tells the story of two black women, Irene Redfield (Thompson) and Kendry (Negga) who can ‘pass’ as white during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s New York, though decide to live on the opposite side of the colour line.
After a chance encounter reunites the two former childhood friends, Irene invites Clare into her home where the two form a larger social circle and the realities of both their private lives are tested. Also starring Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and Alexander Skarsgård, Passing looks to be a provocative and compelling drama.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rebecca Hall revealed her directorial influences behind her debut film, stating, “I think of myself as having the most exclusive and lucky directing school that I can imagine by just having been in many movies and watching so many people work in different ways”.
Continuing, Hall noted, “When you have the good fortune to witness so many directors work, there’s a luxury and understanding in that there is no correct way to do it. Everyone does it very, very differently. The only correct way is your way, and I don’t think I would’ve known that had I not seen so many different variations on the scene”.
Passing will be released in select cinemas in the US on 27 October, before hitting Netflix on 10 November.
Check out the brand new trailer below, starring the likes of Ruth Negga, Tessa Thompson and Alexander Skarsgård.
