Why
did the documentarian come to the coastal Puerto Rican village? For the grant
money, of course. This might be the most honest portrayal of a
filmmaker-academic yet rendered on screen. Unfortunately, it is also the
scariest thing about Nicole Elmer’s In the Shadow (trailer
here), which
launches today on digital VOD from Devolver Digital.
Diego
Cadena wants nothing to do with Hilary Weiss when she blows into his sleepy
resort town. It is nothing personal, he is just becoming increasingly
anti-social. Cadena is well known amongst the townspeople for his uncanny
healing abilities. However, each time he uses his power, it inflicts extreme
trauma on his psyche. The visions are getting more violent and intruding more
frequently into his waking life, which could have tragic implications.
Meanwhile,
Weiss has not exactly covered herself in filmmaking glory. She has been too
busy arguing with her soon to be ex-husband to shoot much footage or do any of
that documentary stuff. Yet, for some reason, she decides Cadena is just the
man to help her scout locations. She is even more intrigued when she sees
Cadena reluctantly use his so-called “gift.”
Michelle
Keffer’s Weiss can curse on a cell phone like nobody’s business, but her
chemistry with co-lead-co-writer Jorge Sermini is embarrassingly awkward. At
least, she has some drive and presence. In contrast, Sermini seems to be at war
with the camera—and he loses. Even Danny Trejo cannot save the day playing a
sensitive singer-songwriter wrestling with his self-doubts. Just kidding. He briefly
turns up as a supernatural badass haunting Cadena’s visions (or whatever they
are).
