Keswick Film Club - The Passenger

Synopsis

Since leading man Jack Nicholson acquired the rights to The Passenger in the mid-1980s, screenings of Antonioni's 1975 identity-swap oddity have become increasingly rare. Now, reissued in a new print, we have a chance to enjoy this tale of a world-weary television reporter in Africa who is profoundly depressed by his failing marriage and by a drab professional career. While researching a documentary in the Sahara Desert he meets a gunrunner who dies suddenly. Noticing that they have a similar appearance, he assumes the recently deceased's identity and accepts the consequences that it brings, showcasing one of Jack Nicholson's finest ever screen performances.