Intimate French drama has sex, nudity, strong language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Sex portrayed on-screen on numerous occasions. Full male nudity shown from behind. Partial nudity and characters are seen in underwear. Characters have affairs.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Main couple are two men in a gay marriage. One later has an affair with a woman, implying he may be bi- or pansexual. The film's director, Ira Sachs, is also a gay man. Characters are mostly White, with two Black actors in supporting roles, including one as a gay lover.
Tomas is arrogant and selfish, asking a lot from others but mostly thinking only of himself in return. He hurts those around him and expects them to still care for him, though gets a level of comeuppance in the end. Martin is understanding to a point and sometimes enables Tomas' behavior but also learns to set boundaries to protect himself. Agathe also shows selfish qualities, as well as a fiery temper and level of self-preservation.
Positive Messages
very little
Narcissism can be alluring but destructive. Trust can be easily broken. Selfishness often leads to sadness and alienation. Adultery.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Passages is a French romantic drama with sex scenes, nudity, and strong language. The film centers around the marriage of gay couple Tomas (Franz Rogowski) and Martin (Ben Whishaw) and the impact of Tomas' affair with a young woman called Agathe (Adele Exarchopoulos). There are numerous sex scenes, some of which involve full male nudity from behind, and other characters naked beneath sheets or in underwear. Strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," and "bitch," and characters drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes fairly frequently. Dialogue is in both English and French with subtitles. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In PASSAGES, the marriage between gay couple Tomas (Franz Rogowski) and Martin (Ben Whishaw) is thrown into crisis when one of them enters into an affair with a younger woman called Agathe (Adele Exarchopoulos). It sets in motion a chain of events that explores the nature of love, relationships, desire, and ego.
Director Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange, Little Men) delivers here another highly personal account of relationships and their complexities. Passages takes the point of view of fictional film director Tomas, a needy, narcissistic, yet hopelessly romantic lead who bounces back and forth between his long-suffering husband Martin and new lover Agathe. Intrinsically unlikable but undeniably watchable, Tomas is the kind of messy, flawed, and oddly captivating lead that Sachs and his long-time writing partner Mauricio Zacharias never fail to deliver. As Tomas, Rogowski's on-screen presence perfectly complements Whishaw's measured yet heartfelt performance and Exarchopoulos' fiery determination. About as far from a sugar-coated Hollywood love triangle as you could get, the film has a grit, realism, and sexual intimacy that feels suitably French for its Parisian setting.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the portrayal of sex in Passages. Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
The main couple in the movie are in a gay relationship. Why is important to see LGBTQ+ representation on-screen -- particularly in central characters rather than supporting roles?
Talk about the strong language used in the movie. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Kat Halstead
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
