The Pass (2023) Movie Explained: In some relationships, there’s a trend where one partner lets the other be intimate with someone else. This is called “Polyamory,” which means wanting to have romantic relationships with multiple partners, all with everyone’s agreement. Bobby Huntley’s new movie, “The Pass,” doesn’t fully explore Polyamory, but it brings up the idea. The film isn’t a great romantic thriller, although it gets pretty intense. Moreover, there’s a twist in the story that… well, I’ll leave it to you to decide what you think of it.
Spoilers Ahead
The Pass Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis
The film starts by introducing Nina, our main character. She finishes her work and gets her final payment from a client. Nina is an amazing interior designer who works with Terra. Terra, the owner of the company, sees Nina as a future partner because she’s incredibly talented. Terra really likes her and trusts her completely. But Nina always needs her mother’s approval. Her mom, Etta, is also a designer and has been in the field for a long time.
Etta doesn’t really like anything Nina does, even her choices of friends and her husband Maurice. Maurice is new to the real estate business, and Etta helped him get the job. Still, she makes fun of him for not making enough money. Maurice doesn’t like Etta but tries to get along with her for Nina’s sake.
One day, Maurice is playing golf with his friends, and one of them, Deon, talks about how his wife gave him permission to have a relationship with someone else, which he addresses as ‘the pass.’ At first, everyone makes fun of him, but Maurice starts thinking about it. His friends suggest he should try this “pass” idea with Nina since he feels torn between loving her and seeking approval from Etta.
Does Nina agree to give The Pass to Maurice?
Later that night, Nina shows a text to Maurice. She’s been called to L.A. to close an important deal for the team. If she succeeds, she’ll become a partner in the company—a big career step. Maurice congratulates her as he supports her work. Then, he playfully brings up the “pass” idea.
Nina is surprised that Maurice is even joking about it. The topic gets dropped as they talk about other things. But the idea starts growing in Nina. The next day, during lunch with her girlfriends, Nina brings up the topic. Shay suggests that sometimes it’s good to let husbands have some fun on the side so wives can also have their share of fun.
Terra and others suggest Nina should let Maurice have the pass since he does so much for her. Nina agrees, realizing Maurice supports her a lot, even though her mom mocks him. Nina decides to give Maurice the pass, with the condition that it’s just for one night, with no videos or anything afterward. Meanwhile, Terra also thinks it’s a good idea that Nina uses her share of the pass as well since they’re going to L.A.
That night, Nina tells Maurice about the pass. She makes it clear it’s a one-time thing, and Maurice asks if she’ll use her pass, too. She says she doesn’t want to get anything from other men. Maurice is happy, not realizing the trouble he’s getting into. You might start to feel the same at this point, and you’ll soon realize that things are going to take an unexpected turn.
What Happens In L.A., Never Stays in L.A.
Nina arrives in L.A. with Terra. They successfully close the deal and decide it’s time to party. Terra encourages Nina not to worry about Maurice and to use her pass. Terra helps Nina connect with a guy at the bar, then leaves for her room. This is where the story takes a turn. Nina has an intimate moment in her hotel room, and given the recent scenes, we assume it’s the guy from the bar.
But surprise! In that hotel room, the person who is responsible for Nina’s beautiful time is none other than Terra. Nina realizes her mistake and tells Terra that their intimacy can’t continue after L.A. We all know the famous line, “What happens in L.A., stays in L.A.,” but as in many movies, it doesn’t. Nina returns home and acts strangely around Maurice.
Meanwhile, Maurice hasn’t had much luck with his pass. He goes to a strip club but can’t find the woman he desires. He’s not too upset about it, though, as he truly loves Nina. The pass was just a fling to him. Time goes on, and Nina starts to miss Terra. She talks to Terra, expressing that what happened can’t continue. Deep down, though, she realizes her feelings for Terra are growing.
Why does Nina doubt Maurice?
As time goes by, Nina is acting very strangely with Maurice. She is even jealous of seeing Terra with any other woman. She is completely frustrated and now wants to exhale the anger that is brewing inside her. Suddenly, one day, accidentally, she sees an almost-naked picture of a woman. She furiously asks Maurice whether he has used his pass or not. Maurice says that he never got the chance to use it, so she tells him about the image. Maurice says he has been receiving it for quite some time now; he thinks it must be spam or something. Obviously, Nina does not believe him.
Later, she finds more clues that lead her to believe that Maurice is lying on her face about using the pass. Nina thinks he is in contact with that particular woman. She talks about this with her friends and seeks help from them. Shay tells her that she uses an app that copies all the messages from Deon’s phone to hers, and she also has hidden cameras everywhere inside the house so that she knows if Deon is bringing any women. Nina installs the app on Maurice’s phone, and now she thinks that she will catch Maurice soon.
Is Maurice truly at fault?
The next twist comes, and this one is very much expected. Since Nina has been abandoning Terra for a while now, we see Terra planting evidence to put Maurice at fault. At this point, you will only think of the reason behind her actions. Things will largely change after the climax. Anyway, both Maurice and Nina are unaware of this fact, and their marriage is at a crucial stage. Nina has sex once in a while with Terra, as her marriage is almost over.
Maurice is helpless and does not understand what to do or how to recover from this stage. He seeks help from Terra as well. One day, he removes the old wedding ring from Nina’s finger and replaces it with a more expensive one. Terra herself gives him the ring. On that day, when everyone is celebrating the joyous moment between Maurice and Nina, Terra does two things. She leaves a panty in the corner of Maurice and Nina’s bedroom and a cut-open packet of condoms inside Maurice’s coat pocket.
Maurice leaves the house happily the following morning, thinking he has saved his marriage. However, right after he left, Nina found the condom packet inside his coat. Nina again talks with her friends, and this time, she asks Shay about those hidden cameras. Nina installs them, and one night, after having sex with Terra in her bedroom, she finds out about the pants. Well, Terra herself brings that to her eyes. Frustrated, Nina finally decides to leave Maurice and stay with Terra permanently.
The Pass (2023) Movie Ending Explained: What happens to Maurice and Nina?
In the simple present tense, here’s the story:
So, here’s the deal: There was never a Marice and Nina, to begin with. That’s the big surprise. Let me break it down for you. It’s quite a funny twist, actually. But I’ll let you decide.
When Nina tells Terra that she’s leaving Maurice to be with her, things suddenly turn. Terra’s behavior changes. She gives her assistant one of Nina’s projects, which makes her angry. It becomes clear that whatever Nina and Terra had was just a fling for Terra. Feeling hurt, Nina decides to quit her job and start fresh somewhere else. She talks to Maurice about her feelings, and he supports her choice. Little does Maurice know about her relationship with Terra.
The next morning, Nina is summoned for a divorce hearing. Maurice has filed for a divorce, claiming infidelity. He shows a video of Nina and Terra being intimate as evidence. According to their prenup, Nina has to pay a large sum of money to Maurice. Unfortunately, Nina loses the case due to a lack of evidence to defend herself. She leaves the courtroom in tears, while Maurice shows no remorse for losing his wife.
But honestly, why would he? This was all planned seven years ago. Maurice’s goal is to get Nina’s millions of dollars. He, Terra, and their group of friends, including Shay and Deon, are all in on it. Maurice had previously scammed a woman in Boston using the name Trent. We see a scene in the middle of the film when Maurice and Nina are leaving a party, and someone calls out “Trent” to Maurice. Nina finds this odd, but Terra, Shay, and Deon quickly cover it up. Nina thinks it must be a case of mistaken identity.
Unbeknownst to her, they are all con artists who scam people to make a fortune. After Nina loses the divorce case, she discovers that even her office doesn’t exist. They’ve created a web of lies around her, pretending to be friends and family, all while scamming her out of millions.
So, do you think this is a good twist? To me, it’s all just a big hoax.
Also, Read: The Moon (2023) Movie Ending, Explained
The Pass (2023) Movie External Link: IMDb
