FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
FORTY SHADES OF BLUE
With a domineering presence evocative of a King Lear, Alan (Rip Torn), a
prominent music producer of the '60s, is the waning yet respected figure in
the soul/rock-and-roll music circle of Memphis.
This world is seen through the eyes of Alan's very own live-in Russian arm
candy, Laura (Dina Korzun). A perpetual alien in a world she has no connection to, Laura's daily
life
consists of routines she performs with a singular sense of duty: she looks
after Alan, takes their three-year-old son to school, and carefully adorns
herself with the classiest of makeup and dresses when going out. Her
broken English limits her to robotic conversations with Alan and everyone
else around her - she is often left alone at parties until she goes home
by herself, leaving Alan to his night of womanizing. Even then, comparing her
current life to the one she left in Russia, she tells herself, "I have no
right to complain."
All that changes when Alan's estranged adult son Michael (Darren Burrows)
returns home for a tribute to his father. Though initially resentful of Alan’s much younger
girlfriend, a growing attraction between Michael and
Laura boils below the surface. While the film smartly downplays its
melodramatic moments, the love-triangle plot makes Burrows' role seem like a
convenient catalyst for Laura's self-realization than a substantial
character.
Nevertheless, Forty Shades of Blue's uniquely naturalistic camerawork
is both observational as it is visually telling, revealing more layers of
emotions and intentions in this film than meets the eye. Thanks to Korzun's
hauntingly minimalist performance, the viewer is as surprised as Laura is
when she finally realizes her true feelings, causing her to question her
entire life. Torn is equally compelling as he catapults Alan from blissfully
unaware to tragically inept. The pacing may seem plodding, but it is because
director Ira Sachs takes his time that his portrayal of unfulfilled and
repressed desire is arresting as it is realistic. Marie Iida
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