Forty Shades of Blue (2005)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Ira Sachs

Writers:

Michael Rohatyn (writer)
Ira Sachs (writer)

Release Date:

7 December 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A Russian woman living in Memphis with a much older rock-n-roll legend experiences a personal awakening when her husband's estranged son comes to visit.

Plot Keywords:

Title Spoken By Character | Number In Title

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Dina Korzun	...	Laura
Rip Torn	...	Alan James
Darren E. Burrows	...	Michael James (as Darren Burrows)
Andrew Henderson	...	Sam James
Liz Morton	...	Cindy, Babysitter
Joanne Pankow	...	Aunt Betty
Arielle Kight	...	Teenage Singer
J. Blackfoot	...	Herself
Red West	...	Duigan
Jenny O'Hara	...	Celia
Jerry Chipman	...	Shel
Mary Jean McAdams	...	Gena
Charly Kayle	...	Karin
J. Allen Scott	...	Press Photographer
Earl Randle	...	Old Timer

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

USA:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Charlie Guidance

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

a brilliant directing effort

This is a quietly brilliant film, a real gem, mostly because every frame of Forty Shades of Blue reeks of cinema; it's a film lover's film, and, maybe more importantly, a lovers' film, a romance/drama that is human, complex and entertaining at the same time.

I was blown away by Sachs' attention to details and command of his actors. There's nothing flashy to his naturalistic approach, yet the three main actors/lovers shine, and the camera feels at ease even in the most intimate moments.

If this movie was in French, it would be up for an academy award as a foreign language film, in the U.S. they will treat it as a small, indie film. That's reality. But the reality this film captures, a triangle between a Russian woman, her much older, legendary music producer husband and his son, speaks to a greater truth - that people are fragile and wanting, that life in the West is so good, it makes us soft and even more fragile and wanting and selfish and human than we want to acknowledge. That at the end of the day we all want to love and be loved and be safe. When was the last time you saw a movie so simple and giving in its complexity?

It's set in Memphis, but it speaks an international language and I hope this film gets seen everywhere, not just festivals.

This is the first Ira Sachs film I've seen (his IMDb lists another feature, The Delta, and some shorts) but I'm certain there will be many more. Let's just hope Hollywood doesn't corrupt his unique talent and respect for movies and human beings.

Oh, and it's got some great music too.