IN THE SHADOW (VE STÍNU)

My good friend Morgan watched this film before I did, and he told me IN THE SHADOW is an “excellent noir but I didn’t follow the plot or subtitles very well. Convoluted storyline but pretty amazing film anyway.” I couldn’t agree more with that non-review.

The film has an amazing noir look. It is set in Prague in 1953 and the costumes, while I have no idea of their authenticity, are gorgeous and seem appropriate to me. The cars… the cars! How did they get all these beautiful old cars? The lighting, the cinematography, it is all just gorgeous.  Beyond the look and feel of the film, the acting was also extremely impressive, even with subtitles.  Director David Ondricek won Director to Watch at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and that is a well earned award.

The plot however is a complicated labyrinth of a detective/political story, and I found it impossible to follow.  Perhaps I wasn’t paying enough attention to the subtitles, or maybe so many men in trench coats were too confusing to me… I am willing to take the blame for this one and say that if you enjoy film noir, you should absolutely, positively put this film on your must see list.

Watch the Trailer! (The film does have English subtitles)

Buy tickets to see IN THE SHADOW at Cinequest. I recommend February 28 so you can see it at the SJ Repertory.