In Passages, the most provocative romantic drama of the year, Paris-based filmmaker Tomas (played by German actor Franz Rogowski) lays waste to the lives of both his husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) and Agathe (Blue Is the Warmest Colour’s Adèle Exarchopoulos), a young school teacher with whom he initiates a tangled affair. Along the way, director Ira Sachs showcases graphic scenes of sex and characters ripe with complexity. As for Tomas, many would be quick to label him “toxic” – but Rogowski isn’t so sure.
“When I think about relationships and the so-called status quo,” he tells me, “then I start to doubt the concept of ‘healthy’. I mean, some of the things he does are f***ed up, but… yeah, so what?”
