Tribeca 2023 Review: In Passing Is Too Experimental For Its Own Good

Earlier today, I reviewed an experimental short called Then Comes the Body. Continuing the theme from that review is my review of a short film called In Passing. So, what’s the experiment with this one? It’s relatively similar to Then Comes the Body, which blended a documentary short with a dance film. In Passing melds an LGBTQIA+ romantic drama with the art of creating paintings.

To be more specific, this short is about Rey (Fedra Ramirez-Olivares), a sous chef in a high-pressure New York City restaurant struggling to navigate her growing resentment toward her romantic partner, Elle (Kaileela Hobby), who spends her days at home painting pet portraits for her clients. The central question for Rey and Elle is whether their relationship can survive in a world that seems to prioritize productivity over human connection.

The big test of whether or not a short like this would work lies on the shoulders of the director and cast members.

As for the direction by Hillia Aho, while I believe she serves the story she wrote by injecting her personal experiences into the narrative of the struggling artist, In Passing is missing a vital component of any relationship drama: background. The viewer is thrust into this failing relationship with minimal context for what started the issues with their relationship, leaving the viewer guessing the genesis of their problems. There are hints sprinkled throughout the 10-minute short, but it wasn’t enough for me to nail down exactly what caused the divide between the two prior to when the short picks up from.

Beyond that, the two actors, Ramirez-Olivares and Hobby, do a stellar job of holding the viewer’s attention. Ramirez-Olivares relies a lot on what is unsaid and works reasonably well in the context of an overworked sous chef who has zero time for anything else. In contrast, Kaileela Hobby’s acting feels stilted but shines in the little moments when she is painting or in the quiet moments.

Unfortunately, this is where the good stuff ends (mostly). There are a lot of small things that irritated me in my viewing of In Passing. The most distracting thing that I couldn’t shake was the color grading. Everything takes on a green hue. On top of that, the set looks dimly lit to the point where I wondered whether it was a stylistic choice or my display dying. Another thing that distracted me quite a bit was the twangy guitar score that feels a bit out of place among the relatively laid-back tone of the short.

All this said, whoever was in charge of the sound design deserves a raise. Every sound element felt natural and diegetic rather than artificial, a problem I’ve seen a few shorts run into.

So, should you check out In Passing once it becomes publicly available? Yes, but with some MAJOR caveats. While the direction and acting are great, it may require some detective work to get a complete picture of the relationship between Rey and Elle; it features a bizarre score and some questionable color grading.

★★

In Passing had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Until next time!

Thanks to Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, and Brian Skuttle for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!