The Pass, film review: Some fancy footwork over the beautiful game’s awkward truths

Russell Tovey turns in a sublime performance as Jason, and Arinzé Kene as Ade manages to be just as magnetic, says Charlotte O'Sullivan
Making passes: Russell Tovey and Arinzé Kene as Jason and Ade
Charlotte O'Sullivan9 December 2016

Fame gives some people a free pass. Still, for the central character in this nerve-jangling thriller, it comes at a price. Legendary footballer Jason (Russell Tovey) has a physique that shifts whisky, razor blades and undies. He’s dead rich. The one thing he can’t afford is a boyfriend.

We first meet Jason, age 19, stuck in a Romanian hotel with his team-mate Ade (Arinzé Kene). Both men seem like laddish preeners. Ade, the son of a preacher, says he’s desperate for “pussy”. Jason, the son of an Essex builder, brags about his dad’s “jags” and mocks Ade’s Nigerian roots. Rivals for an all-important club contract, the pair spend the evening jockeying for position. There’s something sexual about the cut-and-thrust. Or, you could say, something brutal about the flirting. Then a kiss changes everything.

Tovey’s Jason is a surreal hybrid of David Beckham, Ricky Gervais and David Brent, ie, he’s a beautiful, often hilarious twat. It’s a sublime performance. Tovey talks like someone who’s actually spent time in Stanford-le-Hope (he’s from Billericay but you get the idea: he’s not a trust-fund kid with an A-level in mockney). His well-defined chest looks genuine, too. In fact, those with a peccadillo for pecs will be completely undone by the fact that he’s mostly shirtless throughout. His restless eyes, though, are what you remember.

Against the odds, Kene manages to be just as magnetic. Like Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, the actor makes us believe in quiet, messy heartbreak. It’s simultaneously exciting, touching and pathetic to see Ade and Jason reunited, in their late 20s (look out for the bit where Ade passionately kisses a gobby teen, as if he were locking lips with Jason).

In light of recent revelations concerning British football clubs and child abuse, the script, adapted by John Donnelly from his 2014 play, may not seem that topical. Pay close attention, however, and you realise how in tune with the news The Pass is.

Donnelly shows how the press, beloved corporations and celebrities collude in brushing awkward truths under the carpet, whether those truths concern tender gay sex or child rape (the characters here discuss Jimmy Savile). Director Ben Williams’s wrenching yarn dissects various betrayals and offers a useful reminder: when it’s all about the brand, we’re all fair game.

Cert 15, 87 mins

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