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Reviews
Shades of Day (2006)
A struggling young writer rescues a woman who in turn leads him on a life-changing personal journey.
Highly entertaining and deeply affecting, this film is full of surprises. It's a noir wrapped in a fable. It has a magical quality, but the magic derives from its extraordinary characters rather than supernatural forces. And while it's character driven, "Shades of Day" manages to achieve an almost epic quality. This directorial legerdemain can be attributed to both the richness and variety of the film's iconic Los Angeles locations and to the magnitude of its themes----sex, love, betrayal, greed, and death. But director Sumin never forgets that the cinematic seeker of truth must also be an entertainer; he juggles his seemingly weighty themes with a circus-like sense of fun and adventure.
The film is beautifully shot and edited from a script by Sumin and playwright Jeff Bergquist. The title appears to be a canny reversal of "White Nights," one of Dostoevsky's finest stories. This is a case of a film being "inspired by..." in the best sense of the word. Sumin projects his understanding of Dostoevsky's story through the kaleidoscope of his own considerable imagination.
At the film's center is the astonishing performance of Camilla Bergstrom. With her portrayal of the many-faceted Linda, she demonstrates a dramatic principle that's rarely embodied in romantic films these days---namely, that in order for a love story to truly move an audience, the audience itself must be made to fall in love...
This is a fascinating film, not to be missed.