“I did not consider the triangle …”. But also: “I saw her kissing him, kissing her…”. In short, the love triangle is a great classic and, above all, a source of inspiration in both music and film.
This time the triangle becomes more complicated and becomes rainbow. AND’ “Passages”, a film directed by Ira Sachs, arriving in theaters August 17 with Lucky Red in collaboration with Mubi.
The film, which has already screened at the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival, tells the story of a gay couple in crisis over a woman who unleashes a drama of love and sex, as well as cruelty and manipulation. .
passages, plot
We are in modern Paris and director Thomas (German actor Franz Rogowski), happily married to a graphic designer and artist Martin (Ben Whishaw) is completely satisfied: he has just finished his last independent feature film.
It seems that everything is going well when the restless director begins, without realizing it, a relationship with a young and beautiful teacher Agatha (Adele Exarchopoulos).
What’s happening? Martin himself cannot believe it, he has always liked men, but this time with Agatha, everything seems to be better.
Moreover, after a while, the girl also becomes pregnant, and the young director, traveling around Paris on a bicycle, seems to be completely happy that he has a child.
When even Martin has fornication (with famous African writer played by Erwan Kepoa Fale), however, the hamletic and manipulative Thomas turns his attention back to his husband.
Rainbow Triangle: The director speaks
“I wrote the film with the actor Franz Rogowski in mind: he became a direct inspiration for me after seeing him in Haneke’s work,” says the 57-year-old director. Ira Saks.
And adds: “In ‘Passages’ I tried to create something close toInnocent Luchino Visconti, or rather the film that took all the risks.”
“Everything,” says Sachs, who was born in Memphis in 1965, “is focused on Thomas, a man always driven by desire: what he has and what he would like to have. The person who is dominated pursuit of pleasure“.
A character,” Sachs continues, “that I identify with, especially in the opening scene, which shows everything the strength of this white man“.
And he explains: “Because in fact in the Passages there is a little story about a man of power who finds himself on the ground, first on his knees, and then finally on the ground.”
Generational shift towards sexuality
As for the very explicit homosexual sex scenes, Ira Sachs says, “You can’t help but write them down in great detail, but that’s where your work ends. Then the actors create a picture, they must interpret it, give it life to the best of their imagination and courage.
“So when I finally flip them, I am in the same state as the audience. To make them, I still turned to the past, to Luchino Visconti, but also tobeggar‘ Pier Paolo Pasolini. The past somehow gave me courage, but in these scenes there is neither shame nor a sense of sin, ”explains the outspoken gay director.
Can Passages help you better understand gender fluidity? “More than a manifesto about gender fluidity, what matters is the impact the film has on the audience,” adds Sacks, who is married to the artist. Boris Torres since 2012.
“I certainly didn’t want to make a thematic film, but watching the three main characters and their respective characters, you can’t help but notice the generational change towards sexuality,” concludes the director, who, along with his partner, is the father of the twins.