Passing is Coming to Netflix

Novel Passing by Nella Laursen is Being Adapted into a Film by Director Rebecca Hall

I first read the novel Passing my sophomore year of college, and it was my second introduction to writer, Nella Laursen. If you're thinking about watching the movie, here's my spoil-free overview of Passing, what "passing is", Nella Laursen, and my expectations for the movie.

The Politics of Passing & The Novel Passing

The act of "passing" is when someone who is of African American descent but does not "look Black", decides to pass as white. Unlike other racial caste systems where you could eventually reproduce your way into the "superior race", the United States followed (and arguably still follows) the "One Drop Rule". This rule made it so that even if you had one Black grandparent, you were still technically Black. Even if you looked white and people around you perceived you as white, you could still be considered Black for having a Black relative.

Nella Laursen published Passing in 1929, a year after she published her book Quicksand. Though I'm not familiar with her short stories, both of Laursen's novels center on biracial, light-skin American women who struggle with their identity. Laursen herself is of mixed heritage; her father was believed a biracial Afro-Caribbean man and her mother was a Danish immigrant, so most of her work feels autobiographical.

The Novel Passing takes place in Harlem during the 1920s, in a middle-class Black neighborhood, and follows two childhood "acquaintances", Irene and Clare. Even though both women are biracial and pass for white, Irene chooses to live as a Black woman, while Clare has decided to pass as a white woman.

Passing Directed by Rebecca Hall

The Netflix movie Passing, directed by actress, Rebecca Hall, stars Ruth Negga as Clare Kendry, Tessa Thompson as Irene Redfield. Since I'm not familiar with Rebecca Hall, I decided to look her up. My research on her leads me to her mother, American Opera singer, Maria Ewing. I'm assuming that Hall's interest in adopting this novel into a movie, besides it being an interesting story, comes from her mother, Maria Ewing. Due to her father's multiracial heritage, Ewing looks like someone who could pass for white. Hall is someone who, although is white, would be categorized as Black had she lived during the setting of the novel Passing. Actresses Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are also biracial/multiracial women like the characters they're set to star as. Though it could be argued that there are actresses in Hollywood who look more "passable", I'd argue we should study what was considered passing during the time this novel is set.

My Hopes For This Film

I am hopeful that Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga will give amazing performances and bring two memorable characters to life. I enjoyed reading Passing, and I enjoy Nella Laursen as an author. I recommend that everyone unfamiliar with her work, familiarize themselves. She creates interesting narratives that tackle identity politics and race relations. I'm hoping that this film does the same and stays as true to the narrative as possible. Passing addresses more than just race relations; it examines sexuality and socioeconomic within the United States. I don't know how a narrative that dynamic is going to be portrayed on screen for 1 or 2 hours, but I can only hope it does Nella Laursen justice.