Just weeks after “Passenger” was released, it’s time for Vadim Perelman’s “The Passenger.” The film follows Hassan, a driver who becomes trapped in a terrifying situation after agreeing to transport a mysterious passenger to Chicago.
There are high stakes within “The Passenger,” but it often lingers on quietness. Rather than diving directly into the theatrics, Bennett Fisher’s script (based on his play “Damascus”) shows patience. Early on, scenes drag out longer than you would expect — a sentence is finished, but several seconds of delayed stillness remain. This works to not only emphasize silence, but also add tension and unease. In the process, it also provides insight into who the two leads, Hassan and Lloyd, are as people.
The film serves as a character study, or two. Analyzing two troubled individuals (for very different reasons), it explores basic systemic injustices alongside deep-rooted themes of desperation, radicalism and morality. Perelman doesn’t hide these ideas, either. With such in-your-face exposition about problems that plague the United States, it can sometimes become “preachy.” This takes away from the overall impact, as characters pause to explain their actions to the audience rather than letting the actions speak for themselves.
Within this character study is an intriguing examination of viewers as well. “The Passenger” doesn’t explicitly tell you who to “root” for, but it does muddy the waters — including attempts to generate sympathy for the “antagonist” simply because he is the only person being kind to the “protagonist.” You may agree with many of the points that Lloyd makes, but do you agree with how he acts on them? That is the question. Much of the dialogue is obviously steering viewers toward feeling a certain way, however, it would have encouraged more critical thinking had it remained neutral.
While the large-scale ideas about radicalism can be didactic, the intimate ones are not. It shows how these acts can affect the everyday person, in this instance, being Hassan. Sometimes it seems like violence is the only way to enact change, but the “little guy” still ends up being forgotten. Perelman is able to show the duality between the country-wide and one-by-one consequences.
The performances from Djimon Hounsou (Hassan) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (Lloyd) aid in making a somewhat fabricated dynamic feel real. Hounsou is minimalistic. He carries a straight face and is largely subdued outside of a few small outbursts. Smit-McPhee plays the anxious, extreme personality well. He talks fast and stumbles over his words, but always remains a magnetic presence. The majority of “The Passenger” is simply Hounsou and Smit-McPhee exchanging dialogue inside a vehicle. With the film constantly relying on their performances to carry weight, they deliver.
C. Kim Miles’ cinematography helps these contained moments feel claustrophobic. Most of the movie takes place in darkness, but thunderstorm effects add personality. With the characters remaining the focus, close-ups are used to highlight every word said or body part moved. Mike Munn’s editing plays a role in keeping the story moving. Despite consisting mostly of dialogue, the 93-minute runtime moves by quickly. The sound design and Aleksey Kantsiru’s score also elevate the simple setting. The music, mixed with sounds of thunder, windshield wipers and passing traffic, aids in the immersiveness of “The Passenger.” Even as the camera remains inside a single location for much of the runtime, the auditory additions make it immersive.
“The Passenger” is a socially relevant thriller that has no ambiguity. The performances from Djimon Hounsou and Kodi Smit-McPhee, alongside the contained story, rein in the overly sermonizing messaging.
Rating: 3 out of 5
