Films written especially for the leading lady form a genre in themselves. They fascinate me endlessly. Certainly when the lady in question is not just the director’s love, but also turns out to be an excellent actress. That is the case with Najwa Nimri, the young muse of the Spanish director Daniel Calparsoro (Salto al vacio). Together they made a film focusing on the power of the imagination and hence the essence of acting. Najwa Nimri is the key to the story and the occasion for Calparsoro’s play with different film styles. She is a new kind of woman and a new type of actress. Without her the film was inconceivable: In Pasajes the actress is really the auteur of the film. And is that not what you expect from a film that wants to be written especially for the director’s love?Mieke Bernink
