Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Passages Blu-ray Movie Review

"Did you sleep with me just to tell me that?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 18, 2025

Crisis seems too small a word to describe the tumultuous relationships that crumble in the wake of Tomas (an excellent Franz Rogowski), a bisexual German filmmaker working in Paris. Impulsive and brash, Tomas is a victim of his own passions, flitting from one partner to the next as fecklessly as the wind. Sexuality is merely set dressing for the artist; people the means to an end. His own pleasure and satisfaction. It's not that Tomas is heartless. His love runs deep. It's that he's so lost, and has been so lost, that he's ceased to care about the consequences of his wandering eye. But beneath all the apparent relational aimlessness is a wounded bird in search of a home; safety, security and the assurance of love wrapped up in yet another word that seems all too small to describe his true yearnings. It's heartbreaking to watch and even more heartbreaking to see spiral, but Passages is a film that is fully committed to charting the course of relationships in perpetual disaster and the damage that can be caused when one isn't attentive to their own affections.

Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos, who stormed the international stage in 2013's problematic Blue Is the Warmest Color) is a woman caught in the middle of Tomas and his husband, Martin (a contemplative Ben Whishaw). She's a grade-school teacher living a quiet life, one that isn't prepared for the lightning storm that is Tomas and his unresolved marriage and issues. Hers is a sweet embrace of normalcy, an escape for a man struggling with his own insecurities and adulthood; a maternal lover who offers Tomas the promise of something more intimate and serene than he's found with Martin. But Agathe only holds so much sway over her new beau, who almost immediately begins to wax and wane between his husband and his new girlfriend. Before long, a surprise pregnancy throws their relationship into even deeper waters, just at the moment Tomas reaches peak selfishness. If there's any criticism of Passages, it's what attraction these lovely people have to a raging current like Tomas.

Martin is a gentle soul, implosive in injury and still in thought. He drifts towards a more steady and meaningful man in Amad (Erwan Kepoa Falé), a writer and novelist who knows what he wants and knows how to remain monogamous and stalwart. He's the safest choice by far, but one that comes too closely on the heels of Martin's failed marriage to Tomas to effectively draw Martin out of danger. Martin remains inexplicably in love with Tomas, and seems willing to allow indiscretions with Agathe if he can save his marriage. It's a complex, sometimes frustrating portrayal of a man who can't let go, even of a person so eager to upend a good thing. But in that complexity is life and humanity, lending Passages a sense of realism that borders on voyeuristic cinema; a glimpse into the lives of three people who tragically collide because one of them is unable to find himself in the midst of a creative and professional dilemma. Is Tomas tamable, or is he too free a spirit to be caged?

Director Ira Sachs, working from a script by he wrote with Mauricio Zacharias and Arlette Langmann, tracks the collapse of Tomas's relationships at a distance, offering no respite for his protagonist from the repercussions from his actions, nor does he reserve empathy only for Agathe and Martin. Sachs isn't painting a portrait of villainy and infidelity; he's crafting a world of attraction and complication that's as much a dissection of modern dating culture as it is an examination of how carefully relationships should be tended less lust be confused with love and lead to ruin. Tomas is as much a puzzle initially as he is ultimately, and Sachs does a terrific job of keeping his influence as a filmmaker out of the way. This is Tomas's life to upend, and Tomas doesn't need the help of screenwriters to assault the foundations of what might have been. The smallest of moments have consequence, decisions carry weight regardless of intention, and his heart is as prone to break, ache and dereliction as any.

Passages Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Passages arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of MUBI, a studio that continues to impress with its high-definition catalog and releases. Backed by a flawless 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that all but worships Josée Deshaies's naturalistic cinematography, the image is, quite frankly, stunning; not directly but subtly, presenting a world that's as convincing as a real night on the town. Colors are warm and lovely, with exceedingly lifelike skintones, beautifully balanced contrast, satisfyingly deep black levels, and revealing delineation. There's a rich, striking quality to the film's photography, with light and ambiance affecting palette and mood with an effortlessness befitting the themes Sachs is exploring. Detail is picture-perfect too. Not overly sharp but undeniably crisp, allowing foreground elements to pop and depth and dimensionality to bolster the image. Edges are refined and free of any issues like haloing, fine textures are exquisitely resolved, and there isn't a moment that detail is failed by the encode. I also didn't catch sight of any significant blocking, banding or errant noise, making for a presentation that's both proficient and polished. Passages looks every bit as good as it is meant to, and MUBI once again delivers the highest quality possible with a 1080p release.

Passages Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Passages also features a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that makes the most of every scene, particularly those that track Tomas, Agathe or Martin into the more trivial corners of their everyday lives. Like its video presentation, the film's lossless audio experience is one of naturalism and believability, utilizing the rear speakers to fashion a real sense of place and space. With the camera at a distance, the presence of ambient effects and directional elements create outstanding immersiveness, whether at a night club, a printing press, a primary school classroom, or a dining room primed for a catastrophic dinner with Agathe's parents. LFE output is subdued elsewhere but given room to work in these moments, particularly those in which our characters indulge in Paris's nightlife. Dialogue is naturalistic too, with prioritization that values realism over anything less cinematic. It's not that dialogue is difficult to hear -- it's not -- but the soundscape allows for environmental noise to have its way with voices, an effective bit of sound design that suits the film perfectly. Optional English and German subtitles are available.

Passages Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Q&A with Director Ira Sachs (HD, 21 minutes) - Though the title suggests only the filmmaker will be present, the interview actually features Sachs and award-winning actor Franz Rogowski, who plays Tomas. The pair discuss the film's performances, Paris as a muse, the trust and chemistry the actors had to have with one another with such an intimate drama, the personalities of each character and, to top it all off, everything from costuming to production design. It's a fairly comprehensive interview that's only disappointing in its length. I would've loved to have a commentary with Sachs and Rogowski as even twenty-minutes of conversation enriches the film.

• Digital Lookbook (HD, 2 minutes) - A collection of press-kit stills.

Passages Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Passages is a difficult but worthwhile film about the care we invest in relationships and the modern problem of wandering lovers. Pain, heartbreak, self-destructive tendencies and lies swirl around Tomas and his chosen, leaving us to wonder at film's end if happiness can ever come to people like Agathe and Martin, who attach themselves to bright, flaring personalities that burn out too quickly. Director Ira Sachs handles it with masterful attention to human detail, lending his characters as much life as his actors are able to breathe into their every hurt and harm. It almost takes on a documentary-like quality, though you'll certainly begin to pull away when you feel the inevitability of Tomas's choices and what it will cost those in his orbit. MUBI's Blu-ray release is even better, with a flawless video presentation and an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Additional extras would have been a boon, but so it goes. This one comes recommended, if you're willing to subject yourself to the damage relationships cause in our modern world.