Search - The Shadows on DVD

Suspenseful and beautiful, but not easy to understand.

Bob Lind | Phoenix, AZ United States | 12/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Horror novelist Stephen Grimes is suffering from writer's block, and - with a deadline looming in just two weeks - is desperately searching "The Shadows" (2007) for ideas, putting his regular life (in the process of going through a divorce, living with his sister, in desperate need of some way to relax) on hold. On a late drive to clear his head, he hits Emett, a young man who coincidentally has the same last name, and takes him to the hospital where he is treated and released. In his desperate need for a distraction, he is attracted to the young man, and they begin a sexual relationship, apparently a first for Stephen. Eventually, Stephen decides to give up his demanding "real life" (by means of eliminating any paper trail of Stephen Grimes, which is actually just his pen name, adapted to differentiate himself from his hispanic heritage, which he has some guilt feelings about), with Emett and his friends helping. Soon thereafter, Stephen finds out that he has been the patsy in an elaborate con, and looks for the answers in the shadows of his former life.

Beautifully photographed, and capably acted, but this is a rather complex film that is not for everyone. The director switches seamlessly between scenes in real time, of flashbacks of what happens before, and what Stephen is imagining for his novel. The ending is also hard to believe. Perhaps worth a rental, but not the kind of film you would watch more than once. Four stars out of five."