The Pass review: A exceptional piece of modern and simply set-up, though hugely powerful filmmaking.
The Pass review, Paul Heath, December 2016.
The Pass review
Celebrated short filmmaker Ben A. Williams makes his feature directorial debut with this simple, though effective and extremely powerful drama The Pass, pairing Russell Tovey opposite rising star Arinzé Kene.
The film, scripted by John Donnelly, whose TV work includes the likes of Utopia and Glue, is told in three very distinct parts; three hotel rooms at various times over the course of ten years. Tovey plays Jason, a professional football player who has come through the ranks from the grassroots academy of a London football club, where he has been since the age of 8. We are introduced to him in a Romanian hotel room on the eve of a huge Champion’s League football match along with fellow player and lifelong friend Ade (Kene), his teammate with similar experience who is possibly considered to the slightly better player. The pair are excited beyond belief at the prospect of being featured in the career-making match and, unable to sleep, find themselves mocking one-another, play-fighting and watching a friend’s amateur sex tape as they wile away the hours before the big game. Their world is then rocked apart when a ‘pass’ is made as one kisses the other – an event that will define the next ten years of their lives, and their futures forever.
The Pass review
The Pass is a powerful, raw piece of filmmaking full or urgency. With the action taking place in just three rooms, with a cast of just five actors and zero exterior shots, Williams’ movie could have been delivered as a theatrical play, though by using the claustrophobic confines of cinema, the film is all the more effective in showing the very small size of the tormented Jason’s world. It is supremely acted by its two lead actors, particularly Tovey who depicts a very tortured sole in Jason, a man clearly financially successful, but one troubled by his own sexuality which is being forced to be contained within in the still very bigoted and discriminatory world of professional football. Never off-screen, Tovey is sensational in his role in all three parts as he portrays his character over the course of ten years. Although his character is disgraceful and deplorable in terms of some of his behaviour, particularly towards the characters of Lindsey (an excellent Lisa McGrillis) in the second part and young porter Harry (Nico Mirallegro) and Ade in the third act, one cannot help but be empathetic towards him too. It’s an extremely perfectly-honed feat pulled off to perfection by Mr. Tovey and a career best turn.
The Pass review
Full of important subject matter that is extremely relevant and still in need of discussion, the film is a wonderful example of a simply set-up, though stunningly executed film from a talented director to keep an eye on in the future. Add Donnelly’s sharp screenplay and the near-perfect acting from all players, and you have an exceptional piece of modern drama that is well-deserved of its theatrical run and not another run-of-the-mill Brit-flick that should have been confined to the small screen. Please, go see it.
The Pass review, Paul Heath.
The Pass is released in UK cinemas from Friday 9th December 2016.
