Shadows

By: Malasha Parker

Ria Tobaccowala’s Shadows is a coming of age story about womanhood and the fragility that it brings. The film allows a young girl, not quite sure of her place in the world yet, to begin to show openness. The movie is filled with despair, but then turns to joy and heads back to devastation. Tobaccowala’s short film gives way to a real story of a teenager as she explores religion, her evolution of womanhood and acceptance. 

Naya (Crystal De La Cruz) is a baseball-loving teenager who is about to attend her homecoming dance and the parties that follow. Meanwhile, her brother Abdul (Reynaldo Piniella) has recently been released from jail and is attempting to find his way back into the life of his family. Naya struggles with her self-view and it shows when she dances with her mom (Selenis Leyva) and grandmother or when she presents herself in her homecoming dress. Naya attends an after homecoming party, but when one of her older brother’s friends comes into play, it sets some animosity up between Naya and Abdul.

Naya is a shy, yet strong young woman who is visibly struggling with her own demons and De La Cruz portrays this so well. You can see the inner turmoil while preparing for homecoming and her response to the compliment she receives from her brother’s pal. Piniella excels at playing the uncomfortable brother who is still trying to get back on his feet now that he is out of jail. You can also tell he’s protective of his sister and just wants the best for her so that she doesn’t go down a similar path. After letting some of the anger go, both actors really show how connected these two characters must have been before the brother got locked up. 

Tobaccowala’s direction focuses on the way Naya sees herself from an outside perspective. I also love how she adds religion into the film to show just how much Abdul has changed while he was away. He lets it center him because it is obviously something that has shaped his outlook on life. In the final moments there is a bit of devastation that wraps up the film. It was an interesting choice by Cinematographer Lorena Dunn to see that moment in a blurry view. It is both sad and real to see it happen after Abdul and Naya had just seemed to be finding their way back to a little normality. 

Shadows is a captivating look into the eyes of a young girl trying to figure out  simple teenage girl things. She’s making mistakes and feeling heaviness in her heart, but she’s surviving and evolving. It’s a demonstration of strength in a not so intense way. The movie captures the normal life of a young teenager, while also showing the individual hardships she has had to go through. Even though there is some build-up to intense moments, there are no heart-crushing blows– just acceptance. It’s the combination of all these elements that makes me definitely recommend watching this film.