Shadows

A film not to be missed.

1960 • 87 min • Drama

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Synopsis

The relationship between Lelia, a light-skinned black woman, and Tony, a white man is put in jeopardy when Tony meets Lelia’s darker-skinned jazz singer brother, Hugh, and discovers that her racial heritage is not what he thought it was.

Our family guide

Best from age 13

Movie Knight Score

274 reviews

100 Reviewers · 1 · 51%
69 Audience · 273 · 49%

This independent drama explores the complex relationship between a light-skinned Black woman and a white man in New York City. Their romance faces challenges when her racial heritage is revealed, prompting discussions about identity and societal perceptions.

Violence & peril: 1/10
Language: 3/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 4/10
Romance & sensuality: 3/10
Scary moments: 0/10

Heads up

Discussions of racial prejudice
Characters smoke and drink frequently

What it models well

Empathy and understanding
Exploring identity
Challenging prejudices

Talk about it after

Racial identity and "passing"
Societal expectations and judgment
Interracial relationships in the 1950s

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Shadows. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

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Top billed cast

Director: John Cassavetes • Crew: John Cassavetes

Trailers & clips

Shadows (1959) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

Martin Scorsese on John Cassavetes

Shadows (1959) - trailer

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
On paper, this jazz-fuelled, experimental looking, observation of racial tensions within a small group of friends made for an interesting concept. The execution though, well I found that really quite messy. There's three siblings. "Benny" (Ben Carruthers); "Hugh" (Hugh Lord) and "Leila" (Leila Goldoni) with the sister having a far fairer skin tone than her brothers.…
CinemaSerf, TMDB Community