The Shade (film)

The Shade
French release poster
Directed by	Raphael Nadjari
Written by	Raphael Nadjari
Produced by	Geoffroy Grison Francesca Feder
Starring	Richard Edson Lorie Marino
Cinematography	Laurent Brunet
Edited by	Tom Donahue
Music by	John Surman
Release date	21 May 1999 (1999-05-21) (Cannes)
Country	United States
Language	English

The Shade is a 1999 film directed by Raphael Nadjari and starring Richard Edson and Lorie Marino. Nadjari's debut feature, it is a modern adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story "A Gentle Creature" (1876), and takes place in contemporary New York City.

Plot

The film tells the story of a Jewish middle aged pawnbroker who meets a mysterious woman who will become his wife without their truly knowing each other. The film begins with Simon, alone in his apartment with the corpse of his wife, Anna, who has just committed suicide. In his grief, he remembers the first time he met her, a year ago when she walked into his pawnbroker's shop in Spanish Harlem. Mysterious Anna, who seems to come from nowhere, impresses solitary Simon with her beauty, and he proposes to her on their first night out. They then enter into a passionate relationship that will lead her to death.

Awards and nominations

• 1999 Cannes Film Festival - Official Selection, Un Certain Regard
• Bergamo Film Festival (1999) - Audience Award

External links

• The Shade at IMDb
• Review in the New York Times