WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
There is the formative power of reverie and the impact of love’s grip upon the heart that can often propel us to take on much more harmful circumstances than we should. When relationships are founded on abuse, mental or physical, even both, it is then laid upon one to make the hardest yet most evident choice possible–escape the situation. However, when that moment arrives–will you choose wisely? For what seems like a much longer period of time than actually revealed, one woman named Eva (Michelle Arthur) has been involved with the love or her life, Zack (Kevin Caliber). Yet, events have transpired that find Eva deciding to seek out aid to handle the emotionally abusive nature of their bond. When an exploration of past lives shared together emerges, it’s a jarring awakening to Eva’s actuality–and shows what steps she truly needs to take to discover that which has been overtly absent–real freedom.
Next, my Mind:
A multi-faceted immersion into the concept of emotional abuse, its impact on one’s ideas about self-worth, the need for eluding the fears and doubts that accompany it, and recognizing the final solution to break away from its tedious and hurtful grasp, this formerly 10-minute short but now 85-minute indie feature effort from writer/director/producer/executive producer Michelle Arthur, along with executive producer Surinder Bamrah, and associate producers Maureen Mahon, Todd Tetreault, and Jeff Vernon, takes a decidedly unique, intelligently creative approach to its themes, fusing dramatic narrative with just a touch of the fantastical to create a complete and moving tale that should definitively speak to those sadly finding themselves in similar situations and not feeling like there’s a way out. The overall notions of abuse are becoming more and more prevalent in the indie film realms, at least that’s what this critic feels, and it is honest, transparent, and inspiring to see directors, especially female filmmakers, stepping out and making these issues known through the medium of film so as to get a relevant and necessary message to the masses–abuse does NOT have to continue and emancipation from it IS possible.
An exercise in a more “slow burn” format but still offering very solid pacing and a far more “filled out” execution to its narrative thanks to feature length treatment, the basic tale of a woman searching for answers actually gains momentum once engaged with the theater sequence, where the interpretive dancing involved with the performance Eva attends takes her story to a new level of impactful realization and meshes together what she learned about her and Zack’s connections from the past and how it weighs on them in the present. Plus, thanks to the film’s utilization of some closing thoughts shown on screen about the story behind it all how in real life Arthur was directly inspired to create the project from her own experiences seeing the original “Carmen”, everything comes into focus, providing the viewer with a much more absolute understanding of her character’s plight while making the effort’s finale grounded, believable, and filled with substance, even if a lot of this is based in subtext as opposed to immediately or blatantly evident. Hence this is the creative beauty behind it all that makes it the subtle gem it is.
It needs to be understood, in my opinion anyway, that for any of the production facets of this film that you may wish to try and fault it for–whether the level of acting, scene transitions sometimes being a little choppy, certain points of “weaker” dialogue being present, and the like–I am being genuine and candidly forthright in imploring you as a viewer to see BEYOND this and instead guide you to the sincere CORE and DESIGN of the project. Abuse in ANY form is nothing to just let drift in and out of our comprehension or notice, nor should those who are caught in it and convinced it’s a no-win scenario be lacking in the needed encouragement and subsequent support to break away. THIS awareness-raising purpose is what makes this film important and, for too many out there, relatable. It’s supposed to convey a message of HOPE, and needless to say, we need FAR more films with that in mind while facing a world that’s become all the more filled with such hostility towards our fellow human beings. THIS is a wake-up call, plain and simple.
Having pulled double duty already being writer/director for the project, Arthur takes on a third task in playing the lead role of Eva, a woman desiring to be utterly in love with every fiber of her being with a man she’s found and, from conjecture, has totally become immersed in. Yet, Eva is also clear that things have ended up becoming convoluted and frustrating in their union, more so as he has apparently commenced to emotionally abuse her. Fed up and in need of healing, Eva seeks help, unveiling a more tangible, albeit fanciful, reality about her and Zachary’s history in previous lives that causes her to see the evidence of what’s unfolding between them now in the present. Eva’s also confronted with other potent reminders and reflections about how Fate seems to have interjected itself into the couple’s path, awakening the truths about her need to break away from undeserved maltreatment and find liberation. Again, it’s a study in underlying meanings and nuances with the character, and Arthur turns in a worthy performance that illustrates these themes and their implications with poise and intent.
Caliber most assuredly commands his role here as Zack, the cocky player whose affinity for trying to get what he wants through manipulation and “suave” arrogance is only tempered by mere moments when he just MIGHT regret his behavior–but not enough to actually change. Even as we see the multiple instances where his involvement with Eva continues to find initial joy but end in disaster–for HER–his attitude never seems to authentically alter, and this is presented with bravado, machismo, and sometimes borderline melodramatic-tinged flare by Caliber. Supporting roles are MANY but all important, with performances from Patrick Stalinski, Kathleen Randazzo, Maria Bobeva, Jeff Vernon, Karen Sharpe, Katherine “Kat” Kramer, Sherwin Ace Ross, Roosevelt Palafox, Linney Allen, Armando DuBon Jr., Silviya Belcheva, Stacy Newton, Michelle G. Stratton, Maksim Leonov, Elena Nesterova, Surinder Bamrah, Gopal Nunemacher, Dan Kennedy, Pamela Francesca Rubino, Edythe Davis, and Oliver Stafford. Sincerely, “BRAVO!!” all.
In total, with its uncomplicated rendering plus pertinent and needed thematic explorations, “Fate’s Shadow” stands as an example of the heart and soul indie filmmakers put into their projects, forgoing the overt pomp and circumstance of mainstream cinema and instead stripping it down to the foundational principals and genuine drive that all showcase an artist who’s still intensely in love WITH their art. Likewise, as stated above and worth repeating again, it is also a reminder to us about the importance of addressing abuse, those affected by it, and having greater conviction to not let the specter of those who lost the battle against it leave our minds. Rather may it spur us to action in order to help restore that which has been broken so that healing and genuine love can be the standard instead of ignorance and ongoing pain.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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