By Nia Edwards-Behi
A lone man, Stanley (Mark Lewis Jones), works diligently at a well near his secluded property. He hears the sound of a car horn, and following it, finds a crashed car. He finds a young couple at the vehicle, which is part-submerged in the nearby river: the defensive Iwan (Dyfan Dwyfor) and the injured Sara (Annes Elwy). The youths are housed by Stanley and though capably cared for their secrets and the secrets of the house begin to unravel to life-changing effect.
As a Welsh-speaker, I have in the past often bemoaned the general lack of genre filmmaking in my language. The Passing in some ways then does not entirely fulfil my desire to see more of such things, being, as it is, in the form of a more traditional Welsh mode of storytelling. However, this is absolutely and commendably a step in the right direction, and I can only hope that the film leads to more risk-taking in terms of the financing and producing of Welsh-language genre projects. It’s heartening to see The Passing get its world premiere at a genre festival as prestigious as Fantastic Fest, and that makes me very proud, simply by extension.
The Passing is a dark melodrama with a supernatural garnish, and as such it’s definitely not a film for the strictest of gorehounds. There is a sense of dread throughout, the seclusion of the house within its rural setting as claustrophobic as the interior of the dilapidated, cobweb-ridden building. By far the film’s primary strength is its exceptionally beautiful look: director Gareth Bryn and his team have managed to make damp, rainy Wales look as gorgeous as it does on a day of bright sunshine. But crucially they manage to do so without ever making it seem entirely inviting: there is definite darkness to this tempting landscape.
The film’s three leads give wonderful performances, and while the two youngest cast members certainly hold their own next to a towering Mark Lewis Jones, it is his performance that genuinely captivates. He has the physique of a Leatherface yet the personality of a Norman Bates, but at no point in the film does the character of Stanley feel like cliché or pastiche. Credit for that must go to Jones – as his dialogue is sparse, it could have been so easy to have made the role a more sinister, lumbering man-in-the-woods part. Instead, we are presented with a potentially threatening but genuinely sympathetic character, particularly as the film progresses. The film features a crucial opening five minutes – it’s a montage of Stanley’s day-to-day life, which a weaker film might have presented in a much shorter sequence. Instead, Bryn deliberately shows us the lonely man’s hard life at a leisurely pace: working at a well, tending to chickens, eating alone. It’s a powerful opening that helps establish the tone for the rest of the film.
That slow, deliberate pace continues for the duration of the film, and it may indeed lose the attention of some. The tone of the film is very, dare I say it, Welsh. Bryn, and writer/producer Ed Talfan will be known to more than just Welsh TV-viewers by now, due to the huge and continuing success of Y Gwyll/Hinterland. But while that is a Welsh drama in Nordic noir mode, The Passing is certainly a feature film with the tone of many a Welsh (melo)drama. I don’t strictly mean that as a criticism, either, but in that regard it might seem overly familiar to those who have seen a few Welsh dramas, or somewhat leaden for those who haven’t, or who don’t enjoy a slow pace.* There certainly were moments where my attention threatened to drift elsewhere, but it was always retained, usually by the lush visuals of the film or by some new narrative turn.
And what a narrative it is. I am immensely curious to see how the film goes down with non-Welsh audiences. For me to say too much is to risk spoiling the film, and for me to say nothing on this is to risk not really talking about the film at all. So, I suppose, I won’t call this a spoiler warning, but read on at your own peril.
The supernatural element of the film is, in some ways, obvious, if you are a viewer familiar with the recent cultural history being invoked by the film. I really can’t say how obvious this is for anyone unfamiliar with such historical moments, and when I started writing this review I intended on being a bit more explanatory, but I think it’s best I don’t explain it away. I want to see what people find for themselves in the film. As such I can’t really fully explain the extent to which I believe the film’s impressive visuals are an extremely vital part of its success, above and beyond just looking pretty. The supernatural element of the film is perhaps not subtle, then, but it is extremely well-done. It is absolutely to the credit of Bryn and Talfan that they have made a beautiful film which invokes this particular cultural memory without making it heavy-handedly political, which it absolutely could have (and perhaps in a different context should have) been. The film’s climax is one of its strongest scenes, and is genuinely moving.
Although the film is a three-hander, as the film progresses Sara seems to emerge as the primary protagonist, but for me it is Stanley who remains the core of the film. I think I might even have enjoyed a version of the film in a more abstract mode, just about him, with the story of his visitors being less intrusive on his world. But, that would make much less watchable film no doubt, and as such The Passing just about manages a better balance of melodrama and esoteric recollections of history. If you get a chance to see the film, please seek it out – and please, let me know what you think!
*If you’ve ever seen the 1990 TV drama Nel – which I can only presume the majority, if not all, reading this haven’t – that’s the sort of tone I mean. I make the comparison as someone who enjoyed watching Nel, too, even though I had to watch it at school. Twice. (Hopefully, as a result of that viewing context, I’m not vastly misremembering it.)