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With “Passion,” of which I will reveal nothing, Brian De Palma has proven himself to be one of the great seducers of cinema. De Palma has crafted a film that moves between expertly learned techniques and captures a sense of wandering energy that suggests the eager willingness of a novice.
In his latest thriller, the director weaves together almost everything that has brought him artistic success over his tumultuous career. Heavily Feminine narrators, Hectic plot-shifting, Voyeurism, and even media abuse all of which were lovingly intertwined into the film. Using these features all at once, he has captured the feel of a seasoned filmmaker, while simultaneously breathing new life into his work.
De Palma’s newest work “Passion” takes place in a dirty yet respectable international P.R. firm, based in Germany. In the office, we’re greeted by quintessential office scenes such as theatrical backstabbing, led by Rachel McAdams, who plays Christine a disreputable New York executive. Christine’s subordinate, Isabella (Noomi Rapace), seems to be her right-hand lady. Working culture turns out to be more sinister than expected as we learn these women are perfectly capable of backstabbing one another and doing whatever it takes to succeed. This is displayed when Isabelle loses credit for a brilliant new ad campaign for a smartphone, who gets the credit? Christine, of course. It is almost comical how dirty people are willing to get to succeed in the office world.
Initially, Isabelle appears surprisingly lenient with her boss, but after she finds out that the home office is subverting her campaign because it is deemed too raw and radical, she puts her version up on YouTube. The ad goes viral, and it is now her who is getting the New York promotion. Christine, after getting a lesson in brutal reality, goes for the New Yorker promotion and has no intention of taking any prisoners. Instead of harboring guilt, she seeks to publicly and privately embarrass her competitors and gives them the worst of her wrath.
If the storyline sounds somewhat familiar, then it is likely due to the fact it is a remake of the 2010 French thriller “Love Crime” which was directed by Alain Corneau who tragically passed away, and had Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier as the actresses in the film which De Palma has now replaced with Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace. The changes made by De Palma are, on the one hand, small, but on the other hand, they transform the film into an original masterpiece. One very important detail that stands out is that Christine and Isabelle are made to be closer in Corneau’s remake which adds a new dimension to the overt boss-protege plot. It does hash it somewhat, but Christine and Isabelle being of closer age gives the film an interesting twist. The distance of the superiors from the women solidifies the notion that they are interchangeable within that working-class environment, Christine’s aggressiveness does make sense, and going so far to destroy someone who is too similar to her for her comfort is not only understandable but relatable.
De Palma brings fresh twists to the story so that even those people who watched “Love Crime” will be surprised, especially during the later parts of the film. Some may argue that such dramatic developments are bordering on the absurd, but rather, they aim for a finale that renders the previous events illogical.
Thanks to the wonderful work of Jose Luis Alcaine. who served as the cinematographer, editor Francois Geiger, and composer Pino DiMaggio, who added one of the best scores of his career, De Palma can achieve that dreamily hypnotic atmosphere. Because of offbeat camera positions combined with incoherent imagery, such as a frighteningly beautiful mask that becomes a crucial emblem, reality and nightmare logic become one. When the shifting movements of a ballet, choreographed to Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun” are woven into the action of a split screen set piece, everything comes together during the central sequence. The beautifully shaped and elegantly executed minute-long montage delivers an ineffable sense of delight and serves as a perfect example of how suspense can be generated through the utmost skill.
De Palma has his custom fingerprints on his new movie “Passion”, built on power, fear, and loyalty. The inception of this movie alone has the backbone of Carrie, whereas the whole tale of backstabbing places it alongside Cruel intentions. These idiosyncratic markers touch upon the seldom-seen singular creativity in the modern world which of course is the gimmick or trademark of De Palma. It is not hard to see that this film was made by one mind and not a committee and the actors are nothing short of mere puppets stuck in the dull vision of a committee. This is evident in every frame of the movie.
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