There have been romantic movies of all kinds since films were created over one hundred years ago. Rom-coms are the most common kind of romantic films, but there are sensual steamy dramatic romantic films as well. The latest is Passages from Ira Sachs, which premiered at this past January’s Sundance Film Festival to high praise.

Thomas (Franz Rogowski, Undine) and Martin (Ben Whishaw, Women Talking) have been married for a while. They go out to a party dancing one night, and one of them notices a young teacher, Agathe (Adele Exarchopouos, Blue is the Warmest Colour). They begin to have a sexual relationship, despite him being in a relationship already. 

Ira Sachs is no stranger to making romantic films of all kinds. Passages might be his most sensual film to date, though. He films multiple scenes of gay sex and straight sex between the main characters. It’s not for the lighthearted. The passion and sensuality are oozing off the screen. However, sex isn’t the only thing going on in this film. How these people deal with this situation is not easy.

There are circumstances involved in this relationship between these three people that aren’t easy to handle. Rogowski’s character doesn’t seem to grasp the situation he’s in. Cheating on his husband with a woman isn’t easy for his partner to take. He starts to move on in life with another and is trying to sell their apartment. Add in the fact that there may be another variable to the situation everybody involved has to deal with. It could tear them all apart. 

Sachs captures these people’s lives so realistically, as far as I’m concerned. Their everyday lives seem very normal, except there is this thing hanging over their heads. The script is strong in this regard. Mauricio Zacharias, Arlette Langmann, and Sachs all contribute to the script. They add to the strength of it in the relationship aspects. Having a love triangle isn’t easy in life or in the movies. Someone always feels left out. It’s the nature of the beast. 

This movie could take place anywhere, but it happens to take place in Paris, France. It shows this city in an everyday sort of way, not in the glamorous way that other films have viewed this city. It’s a bit ironic because Paris is viewed as the romantic city in Europe, but this film makes it an afterthought because of the difficult situation the three main characters are in. I’m glad to see it as a normal city, and not some high falutin, highbrow city. 

The performances in this movie are very good. Sachs captures all the happiness, despair, and everything in between that these three and others are feeling throughout the film. Rogowski’s character has a lot of control in his work life as a filmmaker, but he loses that in his relationships. Whishaw and Exarchopoulos are more stoic throughout the movie when they aren’t having sex. They have more difficulties in their lives and don’t show their emotions much, but they do interact and emote slightly throughout this whole situation they are in regarding the three-way relationship.

Passages is a typical film about a love triangle. In reality or in the movies, this type of relationship is never bound to work out. One character is just being too greedy in his life, and he’s not allowing the others to be happy. This character has this thing that makes him a bad person in the way he has treated others. It’s not fair to them that he is only thinking of himself and not their feelings. That’s the problem with this sort of relationship. You can’t have everything in life. At least most people can’t, and this film shows that.

3 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen