In Passing (2023) – Movie Review and Summary (with Spoilers)

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers. Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.

Film Summary

Images and text in this post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made from those sites, we may earn money or products from the company.

Rey and Elle are a couple who live together. Elle spends her days painting people’s animals for a living, while Rey works at a restaurant. Rey having to work so hard becomes a point of contention as she sees Elle spend her days at home, waste food, and not show the wear and tear of trying to survive as she does. But is this disparity enough to tear these two apart?

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Rey

Rey is an overworked person working in the food industry.

Elle

Elle is an artist who works from home, painting people’s animals.

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

On The Fence

The Push and Pull

Shorts are created for varying reasons. Some are proof of concept that something can be done and attract an audience. Others are about expanding a creator’s filmography and showing they can run a set. This is why “In Passing” is hard to really talk about. No short outright tells you what the goal of making it was. For “In Passing,” is it to just get a glimpse of an LGBTQIA+ couple who doesn’t have an ideal relationship but rather one that looks real? Is it simply supposed to show how working to survive is not just killing the worker but all they are working for or to keep?

Don’t get me wrong, what we see between Elle and Rey is likable, but the push and pull of it all is feeling like, as a viewer, you can see the restraints due to time and budget, which leaves you feeling like you ultimately got something incomplete.

General Information

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

1. Our Son (2023): A full-length feature showing the complicated dissolution of a couple’s relationship, especially with them sharing a son and how it affects their found family.

Also, check our movies page for more recommendations and our latest movie reviews.

FAQs