[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

A Shadow Before Sunrise

  • 2004
  • 35m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
22
YOUR RATING
A Shadow Before Sunrise (2004)
DramaShort

Add a plot in your language

  • Director
    • Jacob Strunk
  • Writer
    • Jacob Strunk
  • Stars
    • Glynn Beard
    • Ethel Mayville
    • Eva Derrek
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    22
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jacob Strunk
    • Writer
      • Jacob Strunk
    • Stars
      • Glynn Beard
      • Ethel Mayville
      • Eva Derrek
    • 1User review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win total

    Photos

    Top cast7

    Edit
    Glynn Beard
    • Simon Forst
    Ethel Mayville
    Ethel Mayville
    • Sally Jeffries
    • (as Molly Mayville)
    Eva Derrek
    Eva Derrek
    • Eva
    Ethan Wilcox
    • Ethan
    Shawn Wilson
    Shawn Wilson
    • Jerry Forrest
    Gergana Mellin
    • Janet Forrest
    Dale Angell
    Dale Angell
    • Franklin
    • Director
      • Jacob Strunk
    • Writer
      • Jacob Strunk
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1

    6.022
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    MicroCinemaMagazine

    A Skilled Filmmaker

    Each film on this compilation was technically superb. The lighting, the sound, the editing, everything. The entire compilation was nearly flawless. There was only one exception; it was quite possibly the most boring thing I have ever witnessed. Now don't get me wrong. I love a good art film as much as the next guy. Give me an experimental stream of consciousness any day. Give me Dziga Vertov , give me Rene' Clair, I can take them, I like them. Just don't give me another art school film about how life is really boring and routine.

    The second film on this compilation probably best describes the entire group. The film, A Shadow Before Sunrise, follows the day to day routine of a mortician as he talks to clients, smokes, drives home, smokes, watches TV, smokes, goes back to work and smokes again. There is a great special feature on the DVD where the filmmaker, Jacob Strunk, talks about his craft and takes a minute to explain this particular film. In it, he says people always, (I'm paraphrasing here) people always try to formalize events in their lives. Weddings, birth, death, etc, we all try to formalize them and we miss the deeper meaning in our lives. So this film follows one man throughout his routine life. But something happens in this man's life. He meets a woman and, as Strunk explains, his routine deteriorates. He has made a connection with another living being and breaks out of his formalized life, but unable to handle the change, he crumbles.

    That's great. I buy that as a concept and I'm sure many others do as well. And maybe to get the point across that his life is boring and routine we must watch him smoke countless cigarettes (I recently quit smoking so this was hard for me) and we must watch him stare at nothing everyday. I have only 2 problems with the concept, first there was no perceived connection between these people. He stared at her and later fantasized about being with her naked. They had a brief disjointed conversation and he almost touched her, but that was all. I never would have known there was a connection if I hadn't watched the extra features. The second problem was that in order for a film to work (in my opinion) you must get the audience to feel what the characters are feeling. If you want the audience to feel your character's boredom, well that's easy, and you don't even need good lighting. The problem however, is that you end up with a bored audience that concentrates on that rather than the point of the film.

    That being said, I would recommend this film. If you want to see an artist at work. If you want to see how a skilled filmmaker can meticulously create a scene and create a mood using the bare essentials of light and shadow. If you want to see skilled actors actually work at feeling and becoming their characters. If you want to hear the background, hear the actors move, squeak and ruffle their clothes. If want no musical score. If you want to see single takes that can last 5 minutes or more. If you want any of these things, then see these films. They are really quite good. And there is also a music video that kind of peps things up a little.

    • 3/5 Little Guys -

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Referenced in Portrait of the Filmmaker: Jacob Strunk (2004)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $11,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 35m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.