If you haven’t read Nella Larson’s novel Passing, it is highly recommended. If you’re not likely to read the novel, make sure to check out the new Netflix iteration of Passing, streamed in gorgeous, retro, black and white.

Passing takes place in the 1920s and the director wanted to make the history of the Harlem Renaissance clearer and segregation in New York writ large as part of the design of the film. To make that happen, Passing shot nearly all of its footage in real locations, including real Harlem rowhouses used for both exterior and interior shots. Shooting in a rowhouse, rather than on a recreated stage, was important, if technically challenging.