| Director | Rebecca Hall |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film |
| Runtime | 98 min |
| Country | United Kingdom, United States |
| Budget | $10 million |
In 1920s New York City, Irene Redfield, a light-skinned black woman living in Harlem, meets a childhood friend, Clare Bellew, by chance at a hotel dining room. Irene is married to a black doctor. She learns that Clare has been "passing" as white and has married a wealthy white man from Chicago.
Clare invites Irene to her hotel room, so they can talk more openly. Clare explains that after her father died, she was raised by her two white aunts. She married her husband, John, when she was very young. They are interrupted by John, who openly despises and degrades Black people, unaware of his wife's or Irene's racial background. Irene leaves the hotel, angry with Clare, and refuses to respond when Clare writes to her. However, after Clare unexpectedly shows up at Irene's home and apologizes for the encounter, they rekindle their friendship.
Clare wants to associate with Black people again and invites herself to a dance party that Irene is organizing. Most of the guests at the party find Clare charming, including Irene's husband, Brian. That evening, Irene reveals Clare's secret to her friend, novel writer Hugh Wentworth, who seems less impressed with Clare than the others.
As time passes, Clare becomes involved in all aspects of Irene's life, often joining Irene and Brian on their outings. At first, Irene seems happy to have Clare around, but soon becomes disillusioned with her and starts to resent her presence. Brian, also dissatisfied, attempts to teach his and Irene's children about some of the harshness of racism in America, as Irene refuses to move anywhere else. Irene believes that the children are too young to learn about the worst events, and she and Brian argue about it, further straining their marriage. Brian invites Clare to a tea party from which Irene purposely excluded her.
When out shopping with her friend Felise, who is obviously Black, Irene encounters John. She hurries away, as he begins to realize the truth about his wife's racial background. Irene tries to warn Clare but decides against it when she is unable to reach her by phone.
As Brian, Irene, and Clare are on their way to Felise's Christmas party on the top floor of a six-story building, Irene asks Clare what she would do if John ever learned the truth. Clare replies that she would move back to Harlem to be with Irene, who is troubled by this. During the party, Irene remains silent, avoiding the other guests. She opens a large vertical window to smoke.
Suddenly, John angrily forces himself into the apartment demanding to see Clare. She remains calm and moves next to Irene, who is standing by the window. John accuses her of being a "dirty liar" and lunges towards her. Clare falls backward out of the window, but it is not clear whether John or Irene pushed her or if she deliberately jumped. Notably, this ambiguity is explicitly adapted from Nella Larsen's 1929 text.
In horror, the other guests rush outside, not knowing whether Clare is dead. Irene slowly goes downstairs, where the police are questioning guests. Brian says that he believes John pushed Clare, but when asked, Irene says that she believes the fall was an accident. The film ends with the police declaring death by misadventure, Irene sobbing in Brian's arms, and Clare's body being carried away by medics.