Dreams and Shadows

Dreams and Shadows
theatrical poster
Directed by	Tamarat Makonnen
Produced by	Tamarat Makonnen Chris Smith Alex Cohen
Written by	Tamarat Makonnen
Starring	James Russo Shawn-Caulin Young
Music by	Jeffrey Michael
Cinematography	Grisha Alasadi
Editing by	Adam Sonnenfeld
Studio	Filmwalker Productions
Distributed by	Synkronized
Release date(s)	October 2, 2009 (2009-10-02) (Los Angeles premier)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Dreams and Shadows is a 2009 American drama film written and directed by Tamarat Makonnen as his feature film debut, and stars James Russo and Shawn-Caulin Young.^[1] The film had its Los Angeles premiere at the American Film Institute in October 2009.^[2]

Synopsis

Billy (Shawn-Caulin Young), a teenage outcast drifts into his own vivid imagination to escape his bleak surroundings. His father (James Russo) is a paraplegic whose own dreams of happiness have faded away in an alcoholic haze. In a twisted attempt to find his purpose in life, the teen hatches a plot to seek vengeance on the man who allegedly crippled his father many years ago. However, he soon finds that things aren't always what they seem, as his mission for revenge may ultimately become one for his very own survival.

Partial cast

• James Russo as John Brunette
• Shawn-Caulin Young as Billy Brunette
• Yoshi Ando as Samurai
• Kathy Christopherson as Krissy
• Julie Clark as Lorrie Brunette
• Joseph Darden as Tommy
• Robert Dolan as Lester
• Natalie Garcia Fryman as Sarah
• James Gibler as Twiggy
• Sean Ridgway as Spike
• Londale Theus as Eddie Vincent
• Cody Hamilton as Young Billy
• Mary Mackey as Prostitute

Critical reception

The film was given a rating of 3 out of 5 stars by We are Movie Geeks, who noted that the essence of Dreams and Shadows is "strong" with the film appearing to be something between a "dramatic soap opera and a pulp film noir". They also mentioned that "There are elements of classic storytelling that linger just beneath the surface of Dreams and Shadows, from Oedipus the King to MacBeth".^[1]

Home media

Dreams and Shadows was released on DVD October 12, 2010. It is distributed in the USA and Canada by E1 Entertainment/Synkronized, and includes the behind the scenes featurette The Making of Dreams and Shadows.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Travis Keune (28 December 2010). "Review of Dreams and Shadows". We Are Movie Geeks. http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2010/12/review-dreams-and-shadows/. Retrieved 4 January 2011. 
2. ^ Simon C (September 29, 2009). "Dreams and Shadows". worldfilmfest.net. http://www.worldfilmfest.net/dreams-and-shadows/. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
3. ^ "Dreams and Shadows dvd features". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/dreams-and-shadows-245507. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 

External links

• Official website
• Dreams and Shadows at the Internet Movie Database
• The Making of 'Dreams and Shadows' at the Internet Movie Database
• Dreams and Shadows at Allmovie