During a semester of “things not being what they seem,” the first movie Film TRaC watched and critiqued was John Cassevetes’ American indie classic Shadows (1959). Below are Melissa’s thoughts on the seminal film.

Shadows focuses on three siblings of color with different personalities: the youngest brother, Benny, his sister Lelia, and the oldest Hugh.  Benny is light-skinned and the eternal “kid brother.” He is always getting into trouble and in need of money.  Near the end of the film, Benny gets into a fight when he flirts with another man’s girlfriend. After the brawl, his friends stumble, bruised down a hallway. This fight makes him reconsider his aimless attitude towards life, relationships, and art. Finally, he gets sick of the person he used to be and realizes he wants more in life than what his immature behavior has given him.  He’s done with jazz, it has gotten him nothing except trouble.

Lelia is in her early 20’s, but also seems young for her age. Like Benny, she is light-skinned and “passes” for white, a term used by a Harlem Renaissance author, Nella Larsen.  She “belongs to herself” and doesn’t feel tied down to one person or obligated to go to school or settle on a career.  She is a beautiful, bohemian, and shows a pattern of being interested in white men.  She comes off as a strong flirt, but after having sex for the first time with Tony, she regrets it because it was awful.  There’s a clear difference between Tony and Lelia.  Tony is a traditional man, while Lelia, for the late 1950’s is a modern lady.  Her involvement in interracial relationships is a clear example of how she’s trying to find herself, going against the status quo. Tony doesn’t know she’s black, but when he finds out be meeting her darker-skinned brothers, he remembers he has “an appointment.” His wanting of more with Lelia disappears and the two stop seeing one another.  Tony had so much affection for Lelia and was hoping for a next time where “it will be better”.  Tony attaches himself to Lelia being clingy as if he’s afraid to loose her, but is very quick to leave her. This shows a theme of complicated love and attraction being hindered by race. Also, Lelia’s interaction with Tony is an example of teenage girls trying to grow up too fast, mistaking lust for love.

Hugh is dark-skinned and the protector of all of them.  He’s the parental figure for Lelia and Benny, replacing the mother and father figures that are not present in the film.  He provides for both of his siblings and fixes all of Benny’s problems.  Hugh also watches out for his sister and wants her home safe and sound.  Hugh tells Tony to leave the house and never contact his sister again once he realizes that Lelia’s new boyfriend is uncomfortable her black family. Like Benny, Hugh is a jazz musician. He travels frequently and sings in nightclubs booked by his manager, Rupert. In many ways, Rupert is Hugh’s paternal figure in acts the same towards his as he does to his siblings.  Near the end of the movie, Rupert scolds Hugh for being late for the train, something almost every parent would do. Hugh gives the message that everyone needs that one person to keep them on track and that no one can survive out in the world alone.