Passages (2023) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Tomas confesses to Martin the next day because he experienced feelings he hadn't felt in years during his night with Agathe. He felt compelled to be honest about the encounter, viewing it as a sign that his marriage had become stagnant and unfulfilling. This confession marks the beginning of the film's central conflict, as Tomas immediately confronts Martin about the state of their relationship.

Foreshadowing: Tomas's restlessness with routine was established early in their marriage, foreshadowing his need for excitement.

• tomas confession
• martin relationship
• affair reveal
• marriage crisis

Martin attempts to salvage the marriage by stopping Tomas from leaving and offering reassurance that they can work through their troubles. Despite being hurt by the affair, Martin loves Tomas and wants to maintain their relationship. However, Martin becomes increasingly resentful as Tomas continues pursuing Agathe, which eventually leads Martin to accept the marriage is truly over.

Foreshadowing: Martin's initial willingness to forgive hints at his deep emotional investment in the relationship, making his later departure more impactful.

• martin forgiveness
• tomas affair
• marriage attempt
• ben whishaw character

Tomas rides his bicycle through the streets of Paris after being rejected by both Martin and Agathe, symbolizing his complete emotional isolation and loss of direction. Having severed all meaningful connections, his marriage to Martin ended, Agathe refused him, and his film success feels hollow, Tomas is left wandering without purpose or belonging. This final image reinforces the film's themes of loneliness and the destructive nature of unfulfilled desires.

Foreshadowing: Tomas's pattern of seeking fulfillment outside himself throughout the film culminates in this moment of emptiness.

• tomas ending
• paris cycling
• isolation
• despair
• final scene

Agathe chooses to have an abortion because she realizes she would feel lost and submerged within the complex trio dynamic of Tomas, Martin, and herself. While she desires a family, she cannot envision a healthy environment for her child within the ongoing emotional chaos and instability of their relationship. Her decision reflects a painful but clear-eyed recognition that bringing a child into this situation would only perpetuate the dysfunction.

Foreshadowing: Agathe's earlier interactions with Tomas showed her awareness of his emotional unavailability, hinting at her ultimate choice.

• agathe abortion
• pregnancy decision
• family choice
• trio dynamic

After learning his film screening was successful, Tomas proposes to Martin that they raise Agathe's baby together as a family. This request stems from Tomas's fundamental inability to commit, he wants all his relationships simultaneously and fears losing any connection. Rather than choosing between Martin and Agathe, Tomas attempts to create a situation where he doesn't have to sacrifice any relationship, revealing his deep confusion about his own emotions and desires.

Foreshadowing: Tomas's pattern of seeking excitement outside his marriage foreshadows his inability to commit fully to anyone.

• tomas baby proposal
• family arrangement
• emotional confusion
• commitment issues

Martin finally ends his relationship with Tomas after witnessing the emotional damage the entire situation has caused, Tomas's continued infidelity, his confusing feelings, and the painful abortion that Agathe underwent. The final breaking point comes when Martin realizes Tomas cannot change and that their relationship has become fundamentally toxic. Martin refuses to join Tomas on a trip to Venice and demands he cease all communication, marking a definitive end to their marriage.

Foreshadowing: Martin's growing resentment throughout the film, especially after seeing Tomas with Agathe, builds toward this inevitable conclusion.

• martin breakup
• final separation
• venice trip
• relationship end

Agathe firmly refuses Tomas's desperate plea to join him on a trip because she has already moved forward with her decision to terminate both the pregnancy and their relationship. Having undergone the abortion and come to terms with not wanting to be part of the chaotic trio, Agathe has found clarity and closure. Her rejection represents her choosing self-preservation over continuing to engage with Tomas's emotional instability.

Foreshadowing: Agathe's earlier decision to cut off ties demonstrates her strength in recognizing when a relationship is harmful.

• agathe rejection
• final plea
• forgiveness denied
• school scene

Tomas repeatedly returns to Martin because he cannot fully let go of their long-term relationship, even as he pursues new connections. After moving in with Agathe, Tomas still uses his key to enter Martin's apartment and eventually sneaks into Martin's room for a passionate encounter. This pattern reveals Tomas's inability to truly commit to one person, he is drawn to the familiarity and history with Martin while simultaneously seeking new excitement with Agathe.

Foreshadowing: Tomas's initial dissatisfaction with the "too comfortable" nature of his marriage hints at this cycle of seeking and returning.

• tomas return
• martin apartment
• key scene
• emotional instability

Martin begins dating Amad, a writer and novelist he met through a mutual acquaintance, as a way to move forward after his separation from Tomas. This new relationship represents Martin's attempt to find emotional connection outside his marriage. However, when Tomas re-enters Martin's life with the baby proposal, Martin breaks things off with Amad, choosing to engage with Tomas's chaos rather than pursue a healthier path.

Foreshadowing: Martin's vulnerability after the separation makes him susceptible to new connections, though ultimately he remains tied to Tomas.

• amad relationship
• martin dating
• new romance
• writer character

While staying at the country house, Agathe hears the sounds of Tomas and Martin becoming intimate from another room. This painful moment underscores the emotional complexity of their arrangement, the person she thought she was building a future with is still deeply entangled with his ex-husband. Witnessing this encounter further contributes to Agathe's realization that she cannot continue in this complicated dynamic.

Foreshadowing: This moment foreshadows Agathe's eventual decision to leave the trio entirely.

• country house scene
• agathe overhears
• intimacy
• emotional pain

Tomas becomes defensive at dinner because Agathe's parents directly question his intentions regarding supporting Agathe and their unborn child. His discomfort stems from his inability to articulate clear plans, partly due to his unresolved feelings about his past relationship with Martin. Tomas lacks the emotional maturity to commit wholeheartedly, making it impossible for him to give straight answers about his future intentions.

Foreshadowing: Tomas's defensive behavior reveals his internal conflict and foreshadows his eventual failure to be a reliable partner.

• dinner scene
• agathe parents
• commitment questions
• defensive behavior

When Amad tells Martin that neither man will ultimately endure their chaotic relationship, he is predicting the eventual destruction of their dynamic. Amad, as an outsider observing the toxic pattern, recognizes that Tomas and Martin's on-again-off-again relationship is unsustainable. His ominous warning proves accurate, both Martin and Tomas end up alone, with all their relationships completely severed by the film's end.

Foreshadowing: Amad's observation serves as foreshadowing for the movie's tragic conclusion.

• amad warning
• prediction
• relationship failure
• outsider perspective