Passages (2023) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A filmmaker's pursuit of renewed desire destroys the boundaries between marriage, love, and personal responsibility.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Marriage in Motion

Tomas finishes a film and begins an affair with Agathe after Martin declines to dance at the cast party. His blunt confession exposes the emotional instability already present in the marriage.

Key Events

• Film Production Ends — Tomas finishes production on his latest film. Characters: Tomas Location: Film production
• Nightclub Cast Party — Tomas dances while Martin declines because he is tired. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Agathe Location: Nightclub
• First Affair — Tomas goes home with Agathe and they have sex. Characters: Tomas, Agathe Location: Agathe's home
• Confession to Martin — Tomas admits the affair and describes renewed excitement. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Tomas and Martin's apartment
• Tender Reconciliation — Martin stops Tomas from leaving, and they share a tender moment. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Apartment

Desire Splits the Household

Tomas resumes seeing Agathe while arguing with Martin about the predictability of their relationship. Martin meets Amad, creating a new romantic possibility and intensifying Tomas's jealousy.

Key Events

• Affair Resumes — Tomas meets Agathe and resumes their affair. Characters: Tomas, Agathe Location: Editing suite
• Country House Argument — Tomas criticizes their predictable relationship while Martin suspects love for Agathe. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Country house
• Martin Meets Amad — Martin meets Amad through a mutual friend. Characters: Martin, Amad Location: Restaurant
• Tomas Rejects Amad — Tomas reacts hostilely and later insults Amad to Martin. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Amad Location: Restaurant
• Night with Agathe — Tomas secretly spends the night with Agathe. Characters: Tomas, Agathe Location: Agathe's home
• Love Confession — After Agathe sings a lullaby, Tomas says he loves her. Characters: Tomas, Agathe Location: Agathe's home

The Failed Separation

Tomas moves in with Agathe but continues intruding into Martin's life. His jealousy, career disappointment, and forced overnight stay reveal that he cannot accept the separation.

Key Events

• Tomas Moves Out — Tomas and Martin separate, and Tomas moves in with Agathe. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Agathe Location: Paris apartments
• Martin Reads Amad — Tomas finds Martin reading Amad's book and hears about the house sale. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Amad Location: Apartment
• Jealous Apartment Visit — Tomas finds Amad showering and leaves in a jealous rage. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Amad Location: Martin's apartment
• Poor Test Screening — A test screening of Tomas's film goes poorly. Characters: Tomas Location: Screening room
• Keys Demanded Back — Martin refuses comfort and demands that Tomas return his keys. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Martin's workplace
• Restaurant Silence — Tomas and Agathe encounter Martin and friends, but the men ignore each other. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Agathe Location: Restaurant
• Forced Overnight Stay — Tomas forces his way in and persuades Martin to let him stay. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Martin's apartment
• Secret Night Together — Tomas initiates sex with Martin during the overnight stay. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Martin's apartment

A Family That Cannot Form

Tomas reveals Agathe's pregnancy and proposes that he and Martin raise the baby together. The proposal deepens the conflict because it preserves the two men's bond at Agathe's expense.

Key Events

• Pregnancy Disclosure — Tomas reveals that Agathe is pregnant. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Martin's apartment
• Family Dinner Interrogation — Agathe's parents question Tomas about his past and family. Characters: Tomas, Agathe Location: Agathe's parents' home
• Family Proposal — Tomas proposes raising Agathe's baby with Martin, and Martin breaks up with Amad. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Amad Location: Martin's apartment

The Cost of the Triangle

Agathe overhears Tomas and Martin having sex and later reveals her abortion to Martin. Martin ends the relationship, Agathe rejects Tomas, and Tomas is left alone in the streets of Paris.

Key Events

• Country House Betrayal — Agathe overhears Tomas and Martin having sex while staying at the country house. Characters: Tomas, Martin, Agathe Location: Country house
• Agathe's Abortion — Agathe tells Martin she had an abortion and that Tomas knew beforehand. Characters: Agathe, Martin Location: Lunch meeting
• Marriage Ends — Martin ends the relationship and refuses to go to Venice with Tomas. Characters: Tomas, Martin Location: Apartment
• Agathe Rejects Tomas — Tomas begs Agathe to forgive him and join him in Venice, but she walks away. Characters: Tomas, Agathe Location: Primary school
• Aimless Bicycle Ride — Tomas rides aimlessly through Paris after both relationships end. Characters: Tomas Location: Paris streets

Story Breakdown

• Restless Marriage — Tomas and Martin's long-term marriage is introduced as secure but emotionally predictable.
  • Film Production Ends — Tomas completes his latest film and attends the cast party.
  • Party Disconnection — Martin declines to dance while Tomas seeks stimulation elsewhere.
• Agathe Affair — Tomas's encounter with Agathe becomes an affair that challenges his marriage.
  • First Encounter — Tomas follows Agathe home and has sex with her.
  • Love Declaration — After repeated meetings, Tomas tells Agathe that he has fallen in love.
• Marriage Fractures — Tomas's confession and continued infidelity expose the incompatibility between his desires and his commitments.
  • Blunt Confession — Tomas tells Martin about the affair without offering emotional care.
  • Country House Argument — The couple confronts their predictability and Tomas's feelings for Agathe.
• Amad's Arrival — Amad offers Martin a possible alternative while becoming a target of Tomas's jealousy.
  • Restaurant Meeting — Martin meets Amad through a mutual friend.
  • Jealous Rivalry — Tomas insults Amad and reacts violently to his presence in Martin's apartment.
• Failed Separation — Tomas moves in with Agathe but repeatedly attempts to regain access to Martin.
  • Forced Overnight Stay — Tomas enters Martin's apartment and insists on staying the night.
  • Pregnancy Disclosure — Tomas reveals Agathe's pregnancy after having sex with Martin.
• Impossible Family — Tomas proposes preserving the two men's bond through shared parenthood, intensifying Agathe's exclusion.
  • Family Proposal — Tomas asks Martin to raise Agathe's baby with him.
  • Agathe's Erasure — Agathe recognizes that the dynamic between the men would eventually erase her.
• Final Rejections — The consequences of Tomas's divided loyalties end both relationships.
  • Abortion Revelation — Agathe tells Martin that she had an abortion and Tomas knew beforehand.
  • Paris Isolation — Martin and Agathe reject Tomas, leaving him riding alone through Paris.

Directed by

Ira Sachs

Key Cast

• Franz Rogowski — Tomas
• Ben Whishaw — Martin
• Adèle Exarchopoulos — Agathe
• Erwan Kepoa Falé — Amad
• Théo Cholbi — Jérémie