This weekend’s highest per screen average was not “Barbie,” but rather Ira Sachs’ NC-17 rated “Passages,” starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw and Adèle Exarchopoulos.
“Passages” nabbed a big win for indie distributor MUBI. The controversy it garnered, for its unwarranted NC-17 rating, resulted in lots of press. That seemed to have helped drive word of mouth for this one, which ended up getting released “unrated.”
Over the weekend, “Passages” earned $21,333 in each of the three theaters it played in. It’s expanding to more theaters next Friday. It helps that the reviews have been very good for this movie, it has a high 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
There is a lot of sex in “Passages,” which has two men exploring other partners, including Rogowski’s character who falls in love with Adèle Exarchopolous’ sultry Frenchie. Exarchopolous is no stranger to the rating either — her 2013 Palme d’Or winner “Blue is the Warmest Color” was also stamped NC-17.
“Passages” is a return to form for American indie filmmaker Sachs, the plot, set in Europe, concerns three Parisian adults caught up in a sultry love triangle. Weirdly enough, “Passages” was rejected by both Cannes and Venice last year only to show up at Sundance/Berlin this past winter.
The film stars Rogowski as Tomas, a filmmaker who falls for Exarchopoulous‘ Agathe, a schoolteacher. Problem is that Tomas is married to Ben Whishaw‘s Martin, who decides to have his own affair. Complications ensue between the two men. It’s a deeply humane treatise on jealousy in relationships, the mental games we play with each other and the complicated nature of monogamy.
You can here watch the trailer. It’s always good to support these smaller independent films, especially the good ones. “Passages” was made for under $10 million — it’s a born and bred indie.