The Passage

When you’re an adventurer and an explorer by nature, it sure is dreary sitting around in a place that’s become foreign for you without a hill to climb, a place to drive to or others to share in on the fun and excitement that’s lurking out there. And when that hits you, or you’ve just come to a screeching halt, you’ve got to do the next best thing; pop in a good ole’ movie! J

2007’s ‘The Passage’ written by English Neil Jackson and directed by English Mark Heller took us on a journey through the beautiful Morrocco. I felt that it was a wonderful attempt and no doubt not the easiest to film abroad however with a few different choices it could have scored them more than one nomination and one win at the Durango Film Festival, their $5 million budget back or even a higher IMDB rating.

I found the story an adventurous one, and certainly felt the thrill throughout the journey as I too could relate on taking chances and going with the flow in a foreign country. It’s not always pretty, but the thrill is high and the adventure is being aware of your surroundings and trusting your instincts; it’s the greatest feeling! Heller managed to wrap the story nicely at the end, explaining to the audience how and why the events unfolded as they did and cleverly used repetition and flash backs to alert the audience that because a country may be crumbly and primitive, it doesn’t make it’s people any less intelligent than their counterparts. It’s all relative and all connected, in this thing called life! J

I feel that despite the budget, the lighting could have been better in the caves instead of huge moments of stark darkness, and even some of the camera work could have been steadier during the cross-country shots. I would have also liked to see some of the photos that were taken throughout the film – in the darkness and otherwise since it was an integral part of who the main character was. I also wished there would be a reason that they revealed that they only had 9 days left in the country. 


I felt that Israeli co-star Sarai Givaty who played Zahra was a pretty face but gave quite a ‘ Blondie’ performance; the fact that she spoke English perfectly and yet found the world ‘picnic’ an enormous mystery, it did not give her character much depth at all. There were several other instances that did not follow through either, but alas that is the character and perhaps not necessarily the actress.

I loved the tracking scene of the main character American Stephen Dorff who played Luke, when he discovered the hidden and decrepit market-place and the dynamic between the 2 friends during their stay in Morocco. I also enjoyed how they kept the mood humble yet majestic, with lovely shots of the mountains, marketplace and Arabic music! J