Film

Passion

Name: Passion
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Crime, Mystery
Released: 2013
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Karoline Herfurth, Paul Anderson, Dominic Raacke

Other titles called Passion: the 1954 film, the 1986 film.

Workplace drama

A taut psychological thriller about two women in an advertising agency whose professional rivalry metastasizes into something vicious and deadly. It's a showcase of controlled performance—watching Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace circle each other, each trying to outmaneuver the other. For viewers who enjoy workplace thrillers with real bite and complex female antagonism.

TMDb rating

2.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy slow-burning psychological games between two sharp women, where every glance and small cruelty tightens the screw before anything explodes, and you like De Palma-style glossy suspicion more than explanations.

Skip it if you want a tidy whodunit with clear clues and brisk momentum, since this one luxuriates in tone and cool surfaces and can feel thin when the plot finally asks for your attention.

What it asks of you: About ninety minutes of patient, stylised unease, with long held silences and a chilly palette; it wants you to sit with the tension rather than race ahead of it.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

All About Eve1950

The template for ambitious-woman-destroys-rival cinema. Bette Davis is magnificent as Margo, and the script is sharp as a razor. A masterclass in how to build tension through conversation and motive rather than spectacle.

But Black-and-white, mid-century pacing. It moves deliberately, which rewards attention but punishes impatience.

Mulholland Drive2001

Lynch's Los Angeles nightmare about ambition, desire, and the cruelty of the entertainment industry. Surreal, stylish, and deeply unsettling. It rewards multiple viewings and sticks with you for years.

But Deliberately opaque. It doesn't explain itself, and some viewers find that frustrating rather than intriguing.

The Neon Demon2016

A fever dream about cutthroat ambition in the modeling world. Visually stunning—hypersaturated colors, long takes, immaculate composition. It's art designed to unsettle and seduce simultaneously.

But The plot is thin and the tone is detached. If you need traditional narrative momentum, you'll be frustrated.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Passion

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Camille Claudel1988

Both center on female ambition consumed and corrupted by professional relationships with powerful figures who exploit their talent. Both are unsentimental about how that destruction happens.

A biographical drama about the sculptor Camille Claudel and her toxic, parasitic relationship with Rodin. Isabelle Adjani is extraordinary—this is about artistic ambition twisted and destroyed by proximity to male genius. It's passionate and devastating.

But In French with subtitles, and it's a period piece about art history. Not designed to be entertaining, designed to wound.

Disclosure1994

A sexual power-play thriller where Michael Douglas and Demi Moore wage war in a corporate tower. It's sleek, propulsive, and genuinely fun—pulpy in the best sense. The 90s production design is a bonus.

But The gender dynamics are dated, and it leans into corporate-thriller clichés. Some scenes feel more silly than intense now.

Swimming Pool2003

A French psychological thriller about a writer and her employer's daughter locked in psychological games. Charlotte Rampling is superb. It's elegant, intimate, and creepy in a way that builds very slowly.

But Slow-burn to the point of inertia. Long stretches have little dialogue or action; you have to be okay with watching people exist suspiciously.

Cruel Intentions1999

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe as rich, vicious teenagers playing games with hearts and reputations. It's trashy, quotable, and has genuine emotional stakes beneath the scheming.

But Dated in ways that undercut the drama. The 90s fashion and music can feel campy, and that diffuses tension.

Tell No One2006

A French thriller about a man suspected of murder who knows he didn't commit it. Taut, intelligent, and genuinely surprising. The final act twist is earned, not cheap.

But Subtitled. And the first act is slow—you need patience to get invested before the machinery kicks in.

Tully2018

Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis in a psychological drama about motherhood, ambition, and what we owe each other. Tender until it isn't. A genuine gut-punch in the best way.

But It's quieter than a thriller; if you want plot momentum, it meanders. The ending divides viewers sharply.

A Tale of Two Sisters2003

A South Korean psychological horror film about two sisters and their relationship with their stepmother. Visually gorgeous and deeply unsettling. It uses silence and color to create dread.

But The narrative is fragmented and intentionally obscure. You may never fully understand what happened, and that ambiguity bothers some people.

Network1976

Both are about professional environments where ambition becomes a virus, where the chase for power is more real than the person being chased. Both suggest the system itself is what corrupts.

A satirical thriller about network television where people will do anything for power and ratings. Faye Dunaway is lethal as an executive willing to cross any line. It's blackly funny and still furious.

But It's about the media industry, not interpersonal drama, and it prioritizes ideas over character. Some scenes feel polemical rather than naturalistic.