That Side of a Shadow (Rickey Fosheim, 2010): USA

Review by Tim Lopez. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011.

In his directorial debut, Loyola Marymount graduate Ricky Fosheim strings together a tragic narrative with style and flare. Although That Side of a Shadow is Fosheim’s first feature length film, his brilliant directing would indicate otherwise and his efforts will pave the way for future opportunities.  Forsheim’s directing, accompanied by solid acting, moves the film along at a pace consistent enough to give the film a professional look with an independent feel.

During a record setting heat wave in Los Angeles, Jimmy (Jeffery A. Baker) wakes up on the floor of his run down apartment surrounded by cigarettes and booze. He wakes to find his girlfriend, Sarah (Kristin Erickson), in the bathroom upset over a fight they had the night previous. Before storming out of Jimmy’s apartment, Sarah reveals that part of the problem is her cousin, and Jimmy’s best friend, Issac (Dillon Tucker). As Sarah leaves, Issac rushes up to Jimmy’s apartment having just ran through the Los Angeles heat after hopping a taxi. Still strung out on cocaine from the previous night , Issac tells Jimmy that he got the both of them in some trouble after gambling away money during his drug binge. Issac proposes a plan to rob the gas station Jimmy works at and take the money to Las Vegas to double up. Initially Jimmy denounces the idea, but realizing his own fate, Jimmy is forced to go along with the Issac’s absurd plan. The journey that ensues becomes not only a testament to their friendship but to their livelihood as well.

That Side of a Shadow boasts a cast and crew of young, talented individuals whose intelligent outlook results in an exciting and emotional film. The narrative does rely heavily on dialogue between the characters but the filmmaking prevents these instances from dragging on or appearing stale. Performances from both leads are strong, particularly Dillon Tucker’s portrayal of Issac. Tucker depicts a character whose drug habits bring out the worst in him, and does so convincingly. The audience empathizes with Issac through his troubles despite that his problems are self inflicted. The development of each character is admirable even when we find ourselves wondering how, at times, they could be so careless (ie. hotel incident).

By the film’s end, it is impossible not to root for the duo and wish them the best as the narrative builds itself on the unsteady relationship between the two. The film does have its flaws, starting with moments of over acting from both leads. Also, the final five minutes of the film are questionable but not so much as to take away from the overall experience. On my way out of the theatre I made sure to give the film a score of 5 out 5 on the review sheet, my first time doing so at this years festival.