User reviews

I love films that really make you think about life and how people interact - how they relate and what they DON'T say to each other. I find this fascinating and was a topic excellently addressed in Passengers.

I thought the film was brilliantly written and very compelling. My first impressions were that it was a 'conversational piece' but soon found myself completely glued to the screen and totally immersed in this couple's life. It really took me by surprise.

Acting was some of the best I've seen from Daddo. Was very moving - definitely recommend others to go see this film.

Tom and Melony, a married Australian couple living in Los Angeles, set out from their home in Santa Monica to meet friends for dinner in Hollywood. It's a Friday night - naturally, they hit traffic. By the time they arrive, their marriage is over.

That's essentially the film's plot. LOL! I sincerely hope I haven't spoiled it for anyone.

Looking at Impasse's IMDB page, it's difficult to tell that this film had even finished production, there is so little detail. But clearly the film has suffered distribution issues, which have contributed towards its minute audience. (At time of writing, it is still lacking an IMDB meter score.) My 1/10 rating should serve as a warning to potential viewers. It is just not worth your time, though ironically, the best aspect of the movie is, at an 84 minute running time, its brevity.

Largely a two-hander with featured actors Cameron Daddo and Angie Milliken sitting in a car for around 85% of the movie's length, just engaging in an extended domestic, culminating laboriously and unsurprisingly in a realistic, but dull finale. It does draw some obvious comparisons with the earlier overated solo Tom Hardy outing, Locke. The saving grace of that film was that it had Tom Hardy in the driver's seat (though why he felt he needed to adopt a Welsh accent for the role, I'll never quite understand).

Director/Writer/Producer Michael Bond comically tries to pass off Melbourne, Australia as Los Angeles and fails ignominiously. (Clearly having roadside signs saying "Melbourne", doesn't help the cause. Neither does tossing in a "hippied-up" supporting Bruce Davidson, in what amounts to little more than a cameo.)

Films such as Impasse, need to have a far more dramatic, less predictable storyline to maintain our attention over the course. Unfortunately from the first couple of (literally hundreds of )close-ups of the actors' faces , we suspect the narrative outcome. Nothing that occurs over the next 80 minutes or so, causes us to change our thoughts. For a film whose action focuses so crucially on the interiors of a car, it's disappointingly pedestrian.

I loved this film.

Beautifully scripted with hard hitting performances, Passengers is at times frightening in it's accurate portrayal of relationship weaknesses and human flaws.

I'd be surprised if anyone couldn't relate to one of the lead characters on some level - their pain, frustration, distraction, isolation, alienation, a range of everyday emotions we all experience.

Further still, is the director's ability to so beautifully capture all of this in a more subtle, authentic manner than we're used to in recent dramas, which I found heightened the emotional impact even more.

Can't wait to see it again, and looking forward to more offerings from first time director Michael Bond.

What a great film. This is such a simple story but it leaves the viewer feeling that many vital questions have not been answered and a second viewing is necessary. It is a story about relationships and how precariously they can be balanced. You get drawn into the setting and feel as though you are intruding into a couple's privacy. This is very realistic and the acting is excellent. The script is very well written and cleverly uses the art of dialogue to tell the story rather than rely on major visual effects which are so often used in contemporary film making. This is a film which considers an adult audience's need for real stories. Congratulations to all involved.

I was simply blown away by this film. It is an artistic feat that I have yet to see rivaled in this way. To have such a limited area in which to film this story could have been disastrous, instead it was compelling, heart-wrenching, uncomfortable, and devastating in all the right ways.

I was riveted from start to finish and I have the writer/ director, cinematographer, and actors to thank for that. So, thank you for creating such a beautiful movie. Make more!

I am surprised at how much I am longing to see this film again. Well done!

Who knew you could make such a compelling movie in a SUV? Great script, acting and directing made this a low budget pleasure. It's also encouraging to see a movie aimed at adults that isn't an 'adult' movie. Passengers is the type of movie the studios have given up making in favor of chasing 14 year old boys as an audience. This audience of boys is the same that is staying home and stealing studio content off the internet. This is collaborative film-making at its finest. Well done. Thanks for the mature feast. Let's see more of it. This bodes well for the future of independent film-making.

rick Stevenson

Michael Bond has used the self-defined constraints of his script and budget to great advantage here. The confines of the major setting - the inside of a car on traffic-heavy L.A roads - only adds to the expanding depth of discovery that his characters go through on their journey through the city, and into their relationship. What could have been a problem for the film in the hands of a lesser director or less accomplished actors, is here a plus: it ratches up the tension kilometre by tortured kilometre, with a well-earned, yet still double-edged visual and dramatic rest in the middle. Highly recommended.

I was kept in a state of anticipation, drawn in by the excellent photography as well as the connection and then disconnection of the 2 characters. At times I felt I was in the car and experiencing their pain and frustrations. Great acting and great screenplay! Los Angeles was brought alive in the process of the drive experience. The story started with absolutely no idea as to who the characters were but one could guess they were "normal" and heading out for dinner; rushed, not entirely comfortable with the night's arrangements and yet on their way. How it unwound was both exciting and sad and at times too close for comfort. Was that me behind the wheel? Was that the end of the journey for them both or was it a repairable situation? One is left to create the future without a script. That in itself makes the film even more exciting. Great work by all involved!

It's difficult to add to the previous comments, with which I agree wholeheartedly. I'm usually an action/sci-fi movie junkie, but Passengers floored me for all the reasons expressed above. I think there is a depth to Passengers such that each of us in a relationship will find it talking personally to us at many points. From a technical perspective, Passengers is beautifully and succinctly shot, with the stunningly rich LA lights contrasting the mood within the SUV. Cutaway shots strengthen the developing poignancy, and the audio and atmospherics are perfectly integrated. This is simply the best feature debut I have seen in a very long time. I can't wait for Mr Bond's next movie!

This movie had me intrigued and captivated from the start to the finish. It stimulated so many emotions and drew me in to reflect on my own life. It's one of those movies that has you thinking about it for days after and even watching it for a second and third time. It's beautifully directed and produced. Very interesting lighting and photographic angles. I think the casting and characters are spot on. Quality acting. So believable and so real. A really original concept for a movie that takes the viewer with it for the ride. I love this movie and I think it's a must for everyone to view. 'Passengers' doesn't insult your intelligence and stirs up so many emotions that the experience from viewing Passengers will be with you for a long time. This movie, its actors and the production team behind this movie thoroughly need to be rewarded and acknowledged. Brilliant. Simply brilliant and thank you for giving us a great ride 'Passengers'.

Saw this at Mill Valley FF in one of the sold out screenings. Very tense and intriguing little film that touches a raw nerve and had us all talking after wards. Obviously a low budget affair but looked great and created its own rhythms that sucked you into what is a simple but effective story. And in my mind that's all you need. Don't know much about the two Australian leads but they really got under your skin and did well to manipulate whose side you were on throughout - kept me guessing as to who I felt was morally right. It's one of those film that should get a theatrical release and you should see with others at a cinema - being locked in a room with them helps to increase the claustrophobia of their relationship. Well worth a look if you get a chance.

The only reason I am not giving Passengers a 10, is because there is room for myself to grow with it. I saw Passengers a few weeks ago for the first time ever, and I am still thinking about it. This is truly a treasure chest of a film. I began my series of renewed appreciations this morning. Passengers never ends ringing on the heart and mind. That is what a superior film does to you. What a dazzling piece of work Passengers is! I am still reflecting on the many magnitudes and layers that continue to come forth. It continues to impress me from every point and then in-between. Just when I think I have gained and understood all from the film that I will get out of it, something else rises to the surface for me to ponder and appreciate. Every thing from the very packed, believably delivered dialog to the visual brilliance is intertwined and carefully held together. It is just a fantastically created work from all aspects. No stone is left unturned in this masterfully created film, unless the viewer chooses not to turn it over. That is how I feel. And to think that it was done within the conditions it was born and grown! It amazes me how brilliant it turned out knowing that. To me, in this case, it brings definite and new meaning to the phrase "less is more". It really is more, and more. Now, more films by Michael Bond, please?

I saw this movie at the Mill Valley Film Festival. it is a little gem of a production. the plot grabs you quickly and you want to know more about the love life of the leading male and who he is and is not sleeping with...is his wife his only love? who knew a 1.5 hour car ride from Santa Monica to Hollywood could be such a journey. Michael Bond has done an exceptional job at keeping the audience engaged with some cool twists at the conclusion of the film. The look of the film is rather raw, which i assume the production team intended as it shows a glimpse into the life of a seemingly beautiful couple who have some not so attractive issues to face. enjoy.

please can we see this movie in the UK and the rest of Europe!We are fans of Cameron Daddo and would be excited to get to view this movie in our country in the very near future i believe there would be a very good audience for this movie which looks fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!Please send it to the UK or Scotland where i live!!!!!!!!!!!!The movie has a super cast of actors who are known to us here in Scotland so we would be very interested in seeing it at the cinema over here!i think this film would be successful over here and in other parts of Europe as i know others who are interested in seeing it too!We would be very grateful to be able to view the film in Europe in the future on its release!

This film is a secret masterpiece. Why a secret ?, because too few people know about Michaels works of art. Michael is a master of seemingly simple yet deeply powerful stories. This film has a psychological power so understated and yet so powerful that it leaves a deep mark on your psyche long after the film is over. The story and the characters creep up on you step by step, drawing you into a world that is at once both familiar and momentarily comfortable until you realise everything is falling apart. If you enjoy the richness of emotional complexity that is beyond the obvious then you will love this film. All at once it is challenging, disturbing and wonderfully rewarding. This modest, courageous film deserves a string of awards. Bravo !

If I had had the opportunity to attend the Mill Valley Film Festival, I would have gone there. I haven't seen Passengers "yet", but everything I read about this movie, in addition to all the comments posted on this website prior to mine, confirms that it is definitely worth viewing.

Yet, the story seems very simple : an ordinary couple, living an ordinary life, to whom something ordinary happens, that could happen to anyone of us, anytime in our life.

Some of us might have already experienced this very painful situation (after a divorce for instance) in which one figures out that it is possible to hate someone much more than one has loved them, and that one's life can collapse anytime… so why not after a few hours spent in a traffic jam… There's no word to explain and to express the complexities of the feelings which can unite or separate two persons. However, it seems that the very talented Michael Bond found the most adequate images to make these complexities live, helped by actors very talented too.

In a movie, very often "all is well that ends well". As I haven't seen Passengers, I don't know whether this is also the case in this movie. But I want to know ! This is the reason why I do wish that this movie will be released in France and in Europe, and that it will, here as well, get the success that it apparently deserves.

We all know the famous citation of French philosopher Blaise Pascal : "The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of". I'm sure that, if this man was still alive, he would be interested in this movie, and would probably find another citation to comment it. And no doubt that he would post it here !