Review of The Pass (2016) by Warwick B — 26 Jan 2017

This spirited British movie looks at why there are no 'out' gay players in premier league football.

Adopted by John Donnelly from his own acclaimed stage play, The Pass is a sensitive story about repressed sexuality in football and the struggle when you don't listen to who you are and chase the dream while living a lie. It's in three acts, each set in a different hotel room over 10 years. First is an awkward encounter between two young, ostensibly straight footballers Jason (Russell Tovey) and Ade (Arzine Kene). The laddish pair are team mates but also rivals for an all important club contract who, hyped up before a big game, spend the night jockeying around. Then a kiss changes everything?.. The second is an even more awkward sexual encounter between a now legendary Jason with a female stripper he hires to diffuse rumours about his sexuality. The third is an emotionally charged reunion between Jason and Ade, whose own professional career quickly ended after losing out to Jason.

Because the story unfolds in three hotel rooms and the wordy dialogue, The Pass feels more like a play than a film. However, the claustrophobic atmosphere adds to the drama of the two powerful central performances. Tovey is brilliant as a beautiful, often hilarious, twat while Kane captures Ade's conflicting emotions for Jason and his own sexuality with soulful restraint.

The Pass is a poignant and provocative film on the cost of toxic masculinity in professional football and the beautiful game's awkward truth.