Seen at...
Pass (The)
- Director: Ben A. Williams
- Writer: John Donnelly
- Producer: Duncan Kenworthy
CGiii Comment
Not the film we were expecting...and, quite possibly, one of the most unpleasant 'gay' films ever made!
A closeted, self-hating homo is pretty bad at the best of times...but, throw in an unhealthy dollop of narcissism, football and few functioning brain cells...and, this boy becomes a sitting target...ripe for vilification. Admittedly, Russell Tovey does a good job with the hypocrisy.
The problem? He's just too damn vile. Not a sliver of empathy can be felt for this hedonistic, self-centred, moronic, money-grabbing-monster...
It does paint a rather gruesome and grim portrait of [real] closeted gay footballers...who may or may not be considering coming out! Well, if any of them actually see this film they will be convinced...staying in the closet is their best option...this film does nothing but a disservice to each and all facing this dilemma...to be or not to be! There's no question about it! Stay put, darlings!
The films does have a few other problems...it's like watching a filmed theatre production. Ben A. Williams does nothing to transpose the material from stage to screen. There is no imagination, no creativity, no flair...indeed, it's desperately un-cinematic.
This is a bog-standard, three-act-structured production...with the first Act being overly long and [mostly] uneventful.
The second act collapses in on itself, despite the admirable performances. What could have been a cry-for-[empathy-inducing]-help becomes a convoluted monstrosity of self-preservation.
The third...10 years later, there's been no mellowing with age, quite the opposite, the demon is fully malignant...the supposed 'comedy' with the gushing bellboy is simply grotesque...yes, we all know the difference between gay & straight is 3 or 4 pints of beer - depending on your constitution! How many men - on the straight-infested terraces - would suck the dicks of their footballing heroes?!? Worship is - in/deed - a canny thing!
And...just when there is an actual chink of tangible [empathy-inducing] emotion, it's too short, too late, too much bad blood has gushed out...to make a difference...to this lowest of loathsome characters.
After this...there will be no footballers outing themselves in the foreseeable future! Of that...we can be assured!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Nineteen-year-old Jason and Ade have been in the Academy of a famous London football club since they were eight years old. It's the night before their first-ever game for the first team - a Champions League match - and they're in a hotel room in Romania. They should be sleeping, but they're over-excited. They skip, fight, mock each other, prepare their kit, watch a teammate's sex tape. And then, out of nowhere, one of them kisses the other. The impact of this 'pass' reverberates through the next ten years of their lives - a decade of fame and failure, secrets and lies, in a sporting world where image is everything.
Cast & Characters
Russell Tovey as Jason;
Arinze Kene as Ade;
Lisa McGrillis as Lyndsey;
Nico Mirallegro as Harry;
Rory J. Saper as Bellboy