Film Review - Of Love and Shadows

You could float a battleship with what Americas don't know about Central and South America. We're a nation consumed with itself. So having a movie come around about another country every once in a while can be a real eye opener.

Where this film fails is in its lack of uniqueness. This feels like I've seen it before. The horrible dictator is screwing the people. People who try to publish the truth die. This is a true story, but you have to give me something new at the movies to keep me coming back, otherwise you end up with background noise.

Mind you, even as I write this criticism, I want to acknowledge that many governments in this world do just what is depicted, and we in the United States have much to be thankful for that we do enjoy the rights of our country. However, the subject at hand is filmmaking. And that means if you're going to tell me this story, you have to do it in a clever way, holding me riveted to the screen. I have to really care about the heroes.

Well Of Love and Shadows is partially successful. I do like the characters, but the villain is never clearly defined, and quite frankly, I was bored. We're missing something very important here, and I think the sense of the human spirit triumphing against oppression could have been better developed, and still remain true to the facts.

Dust Bag Full

Film Facts

Directed by Betty Kaplan

Released in 1994

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewed by Mongo