Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: SHADOW IN THE CLOUD [AFI Fest 2020 - Virtual]
"Shadow In The Cloud" is that kind of conceptual bad-ass movies that comes out of a script that whittles around for a while. It is just big enough to attract a decent actress but also occupies that weird in-between space where mid range movies used to occupy. Interpolating old school "Twilight Zone" and "Amazing Stories" territory in a World War II time frame, it turns it on its head while still being inherently commercial. This is something Chloe Grace Moretz has been trying to find in her films. She doesn't want to be the damsel but the instigator yet still retain the essence of great movie tropes but in reverse. Without giving the crux of the movie away, this is why "Shadow" works...even though it might go too overboard at points. One sequence is particular is sheerily unbelievable but it is so much fun and edge-of-your seat that the audience will go for it. The film is a crowd-pleaser for sure which belies the idea that it was reviewed virtually simply because of the current environment. As a project based out of Endeavor Content, it is very economical and uses it to its advantage. One can tell it was on a limited budget but what it did with it and with a very game actress like Moretz is pretty cool. She plays against concepts and stereotypes but again not completely destroying them but turning them on their head. She and director Roseanne Liang use this imagery to paint a new mythology. The story moves in tandem to this and yet the final moments are vintage empowerment of doing it all. The path might be a little dark and crushing to get there but it works. The geography and bigger overarching mythology might be a little too beyond young audiences though a prologue tries to explain it a bit. It is a concept that has been the basis of a Hollywood movie before in a different realm and feel but works here since it is given a much more vicious tone. "Shadow In the Cloud" is a fun ride that never apologizes for itself at all while still blazing a path that feels both modern and new yet with a degree of vintage.A-
By Tim Wassberg
