Shadows (2007 film)
Shadows | |
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Directed by | Milcho Manchevski |
Produced by |
Milcho Manchevski Amedeo Pagani Corinna Mehner Nermin Gladers Martin Hussman Dimitar Gočev Gerrardo Herrero Mariela Besuievsky |
Written by | Milcho Manchevski |
Starring |
Borče Nacev Vesna Stanojevska Sabina Ajrula-Tozija Salaetin Bilal Ratka Radmanovic Filareta Atanasova Dime Iliev Vladimir Jacev |
Music by |
Ryan Shore (additional music by Kiril Džajkovski) |
Cinematography | Fabio Cianchetti |
Edited by |
David Ray Martin Levenstein |
Distributed by | Bavaria Film International |
Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | Macedonia |
Language | Macedonian |
Shadows (Macedonian: Сенки, Transliteration: Senki) is a 2007 film from the Republic of Macedonia. The film was directed, produced and written by Milcho Manchevski. It was filmed on location in both Skopje, Ohrid and several other locations in the Republic of Macedonia.
Plot
If we were to choose one man who’s got everything going for him, then Lazar Perkov would be an excellent choice. He’s young, good-looking, has a beautiful wife, lovely little boy, great house and a good job as a hospital physician. In fact, everyone calls him “Lucky.” Nothing’s missing – except maybe Lucky himself, who’s always trying to live up to the expectations of others. Like his bored wife and roguish colleagues. And, above all, his famous physician mother, a driven woman who rose from obscurity to renown with an iron will that crushed all resistance, whether from the living or the dead…
When Lucky is involved in a disastrous car crash and mysteriously saved from a sure death, his life begins to change. He meets strange people: an old man with a baby, an ancient lady speaking a forgotten dialect, a beautiful young woman with a sad secret. Their only message is: “Return what’s not yours. Have respect.” He gradually becomes aware that it is a message from the afterlife, from tormented souls who seem to die over and over again.
But why have they chosen him?
To answer this question, Lucky must finally grow up and become the man he wants to be.
The action begins at Lazar's home where he has a fight with his wife about how messed up his life was. Pissed off from the fight, he goes for a drive. When trying to light a cigarette in his car, without having the seatbelt on, his phone rings — it is his mother. Then the cigarette falls from his mouth in the desperate attempt to grab his mobile phone on the seat next to him, burning him on the arm. Now he loses control over the car, but meanwhile a woman is crossing the road. Lazar's attempt to avoid hitting her is fatal. His car flips, and crashes until he is found hanging off the car's window whose glass had broken in the crash. The slow movement on the car resting off a building's wall is threatening to crush his dangling head. As all of the people on the streets watch in despair, something moves him away from the car.
Cast
Actor | Role |
---|---|
Borče Nacev | Dr. Lazar Perkov |
Salaetin Bilal | Gerasim |
Vesna Stanojevska | Menka |
Sabina Ajrula-Tozija | Dr. Vera Perkova |
Ratka Radmanovic | Kalina |
Vladimir Jacev | Dr. Shishkin |
Filareta Zdravkovic | Gordana |
Dime Iliev | Ignjat Perkov |
Awards
- Macedonian Academy Award Submission, 2008: Best Foreign-Language Film
- Golden Ladybug, 2008: Best Actress (Vesna Stanojevska in Shadows)
- Golden Ladybug, 2008: Best Music Video (Jungle Shadow in Shadows)
- Park City Film Music Festival, 2008: Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement, Ryan Shore, composer
- Syracuse Film Festival, 2008: Best Actress, Vesna Stanojevska in Shadows
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Ryan Shore.
Critical reception
The film has premiered at several international film festivals, the first being the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was well received with one of the festival's film critics calling it "Manchevski’s most ambitious film to date". Other critics, such as Patrick McGavin of Screen Daily, called it “ambitious and capably mounted […] (Manchevski) retains a very fine eye for composition, aided by the sensuous, beautiful work of Italian cinematographer Fabio Cianchetti. The movie's standout quality is the sexy, revealing work of the vibrant, highly alluring young actress Vesna Stanojevska, a professional musician making her film debut. She injects the film with an erotic intensity”.
Release history
Country | Date |
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Canada | September 9, 2007 |
Macedonia | November 2, 2007 |
Taiwan | November 24, 2007 |
See also
External links
- Bavaria Film International Website
- Stylus Magazine Review
- Stylus Magazine Review
- Senki (Shadows) at the Internet Movie Database
- Senki (Shadows) at AllMovie
- Manchevski's Shadowsby Joe Bendel, J.B. Spins, January 2009
- "Shadows" (review )by Andrew Schenker, January 28, 2009, Slant Magazine
- Normalnost Balkana by Dragan Jurak, Feral Tribune, 23. 05. 2008 (in Croatian)
- http://www.popcornreel.com/htm/shadowsmilcho.htm
- http://www.manchevski.com/docs/senki-sexuality%20and%20melancholy%20by%20katerina%20kolozova.pdf
- http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/2008/03/26/original-horror-twist-lurks-in-the-heart-of-%E2%80%9Cshadows%E2%80%9D/#more-4172
- http://www.criticsnotebook.com/2009/02/shadows.html
- http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Kulturni-dodatak/Kubistichki-mozaik-istine.lt.html
- http://www.crpm.org.mk/Papers/MilcoManchevski.htm
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