In the Shadow

Writer/director/producer Nicole Elmer, also a talented fiction writer and musician, delivers a beautifully lensed drama that's a bit outside the typical horror or psychological drama. In The Shadow, set in modern day Puerto Rico, brings us Diego, an unwilling healer, known in his coastal community to have the very real power to negotiate with Death that everyone wishes for, prays for, when faced with tragedy. It's a power that comes with a price. When an American documentary filmmaker, Hilary, crosses into Diego's world, the narrative comes alive as the two reveal just how complex their lives are. Unlike the trend in many depictions of female characters in horror or dramas, Elmer imbues Hilary with agency; In The Shadow is just as much about the complexity buried deep within the lives of every person walking the face of the earth as it is about the surface narrative of conflict between Diego and Hilary. Elmer and her collaborators on In The Shadow balance gender politics, cultural disconnects, and interpersonal magnetism into a visual story that resonates.

In the Shadow is a film you'd enjoy putting on without knowing very much about at all. I watched it without knowing anything about it, and I think that was to my benefit. The pacing was great, scenery & cinematography just lovely, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of character development that transpired considering the subject matter.

Honestly, I was left thinking about this movie after I had turned it off, which I think is genuinely rare. The subject matter is quite thrilling, but in the hands of other filmmakers, could have ended up being just another dumbed down, cheap thrill. It's a thought provoking movie with a solid performance by Jorge Sermini. Very moody, capturing some really cool moments & with some actual character/atmosphere about it... unlike a lot of debut films.

For someone looking to roll the dice on a smaller project or just a thriller in general - go for it.

This film is a bit of a mind twist and a strange take on horror. Most horror uses ample blood and guts, but this one tricks the mind instead of all the blood and guts, and the way they show the healing sequences with the lead character really goes everywhere visually. I think it is about quantum healing. The best thing is the cinematography which is really something. It left me thinking about it for a long time after the film was over. The film was shot in Puerto Rico in a small island. So some of the shots seem to go on forever.

I was really engaged in this film, and challenged. It made me think, and when films do that, it's good. More films should be as challenging, in a good way.

Shot on location in Puerto Rico, In the Shadow boasts a beautiful cinematic backdrop for a sinister and suspenseful story. What I appreciate about this film is how a very rich and intriguing allegory develops from an otherwise normal man and his daughter. A splendid mix of the natural world and not-so-natural. There seems to be a unique style and taste to the flow of the film as well. A bit of an unsettling current runs throughout the coarse of the film that is accentuated by the film's haunting score. With the lens of the camera turned on the documentarian making the documentary, the acting comes across as very candid and natural. Do yourself a favor and forgo the latest Hollywood pedestrian reincarnation of whatever and support this unexpected and original feature.

It took me a little while to adjust to the lyrical pacing of this film, but this film is so gorgeously shot, and the story put together in such an unusual manner that I was along for the ride.

I first saw the film at the Cine Las American film fest, so I had the advantage of watching it on the big screen. The director, Nicole Elmer, really pays attention to the world the lead actor, Diego, lives in as a healer. The environment plays a huge part. The editing style for the healing sequences is both dark and hopeful at the same time. I have not seen many films that have been edited like this.

If you like artful films, I would suggest taking a look at this. It's not like anything I've seen in a long time. And Danny Trejo plays a hermit to boot. Odd role for him.