This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
I don’t think the Europeans know this saying to well, but it applies to Passages. Most American football teams have one quarterback, the guy who runs the offense. There’s a saying that goes “if you have 2 quarterbacks, you actually have no quarterbacks.” I have no doubt Tomas (Franz Rogowski) would up his nose at my low brow anecdote, meaning he would miss the message that directly applies to his life in Ira Sachs’s contemplative sexy film.
Tomas is an established European filmmaker, just finishing his latest release right before the Venice Film Festival. At the afterparty, Tomas begs his husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) to dance with him at the afterparty, but Martin is too tired and goes home early. Concurrently, Agathe (Adele Exharchopoulos), just freed of her relationship, agrees to dance with Tomas. I’m sure they enjoyed that song and then went their separate ways right? Right?
Obviously, Ira Sachs didn’t make a short film about a man and woman dancing. He made a feature length movie about messy relationship dynamics. Tomas is one of those people in relationships who knows they are the most fun. As such, he thinks every moment either Martin or Agathe spends with him is the best part of their day. That means every decision Tomas makes is entirely self-serving. When Martin doesn’t give him the outlet he needs, he runs to Agathe, and vice versa. This living situation is perfect for Tomas, but horrible to the other two, especially as relationship responsibilities demand Tomas’s time and energy. All Tomas lives for is the moment, and when the moment sucks, he runs away to find another one, manipulating his way out of any meaningful connection to the other person.
We’ve seen many a Tomas cross our movie paths before. What’s more interesting is how Martin and Agathe deal with him. Both enjoy the excitement of his presence, but both also get the courage to put their foot down with him when they need to. Watching two people go through a toxic relationship in different ways gives Passages an angle that isn’t usually analyzed. Martin and Agathe eventually both realize they’re both in a competition for Tomas, and quietly go about getting what they want out of him while this is still fun. But after both give him chance after chance to rise to the occasion, they both eventually realize they mistook their attraction for real love, and get out before they get hurt any more. One of the great pieces of advice someone told me is that you should always tell the truth, because the person you love will always find out eventually. Passages of time and some Tomas lapses in judgment are all that Agathe and Martin need to maybe think twice about keeping the filmmaker in their lives.
If you’re gonna be a Tomas type, use Passages as a warning. Make sure you’re absolutely positive the two people you’re with understand relationship boundaries and expectations. If you don’t, you won’t have 2 partners, you’ll have none. And trust me, as a fan of a team that has had multiple years of 2 quarterbacks, it’s only gonna lead to disaster.