Forty Shades of Blue (15)

AmazingDiscover the colours that litter the heartbreaking journey of lead character Laura,tremendously played by Dina Korzun (Last Resort). A soul destroying descent, mirrored by the metaphor of the opening credits, where a parade of people lead Laura down an escalator to a score befitting that of a funeral.Abruptly we cut to her in front of a mirror. She is in a black suit. A complimentary black towel hangs lifelessly on the wall behind.She is without expression, putting on make up, putting on a face, preparing herself for what may as well be the last dance.She has no voice, no identity, drained of emotion by her relationship with her older partner, Alan, effortlessly nailed by Rip Torn. He awaits on the bed, playing with their 3 (and a half) year old son, the real man of the family. Laura glides past like a Supermodel, a glass of wine her companion, no emotional contact is shared between the two. Their relationship matches the colour of the bedding which they lie in. Black and Lifeless."Show me the love!" declares the compere as he introduces a celebration ofAlan's legendary career. An indirect plea to Alan from Laura. He is the King of Memphis Soul, but also a soul-less spoilt child, interested in no-one but himself and his music, incapable of love.Will we ever see Alan give the love which Laura deservesduring his own voyage of enlightenment before its too late.As a distant audience we see the warning goes unheeded,he treats her like a discarded toy to go play with his worshippers.Laura is left lost and alone in a crowd, her isolation highlightedby the camera flashes behind her. How long will she put up withbeing treated like a mere object of glamour.The arrival of Alan's ungrown-up son proves the catalyst to send Laura on herjourney changing her outlook on life. Note her joy at the birthday cake celebration.Will she recognise the warning signs (red for danger) or be drawn into a destructive affair. How low can a person be pushed.Watch this movie and find out!!Colour codes:Black = Lifeless. Dead. (Alan € €ž s dressing gown and tennis gear, the bed sheets)Red = danger (Red lights highlighting dangerous characters. She is puts a red jumperover the head of her son when danger comes knocking)Pastels/flowery shirts = her blossoming love, contentment and joy. She is breaking free.White = innocence (left on the motorcycle seat of the lowlife)And of course the Shades of blue, the melancholy tones of the deeply tragic journey itself.Prop codes:Phone, Newspapers, Car horns beeping = destructive influences and interruptionsBroken heart pendant, Ring that doesnt fit = symbols of a broken relationshipLaura's book, Glass of white wine, Swimming pool, Shopping mall = Laura's refugeBirthday Cake, Shirt she buys for him, THAT tear at the end = Laura's love

Dina Korzun holds the attention in this moody piece from Ira Sachs. She has very little dialogue, and there is not much spoken in the film. All the intent and meaning come from the atmosphere and facial expressions. It takes some time to get going, or the audience gets used to the slow pace. Korzun plays Laura, the much younger Russian girlfriend of an aged Rip Torn playing Alan, a Memphis music producer with a foul temper. Laura seems so passive through most of the story that she could be anaesthetized but, when she falls for her partner's son, Michael (played by Darren Burrows) she betrays a depth of emotion that has not been accessed in her relationship with his father. In this she has been playing a role for survival; an escape from a worse life in Russia. Korzun plays the role with magnificent and delicate sensitivity which is at times breathtaking. The story itself is an odd one. The audience is presented with the scenario of an escapee Russian living with a successful American which is a set up for emotional starvation, and elicits sympathy. Her loneliness and social isolation is understandable but it is hard to sympathize with Laura when she gets repeatedly drunk to near-oblivion and has sordid sexual encouters with deadbeats.

The most moving scene is towards the end. Michael has left, having said that their affair cannot continue, and Laura and Alan are driving to yet another music function. She is trying to bear the pain of thwarted love; her face is a mask, she is like a dead person, while we watch the two in the dark car moving through the night. The camera remains on her face; she is soundless, and almost motionless, the flickers of her face become an insupportable agony to watch. It was worth waiting throughout the slowness of the film to see such superb acting. Instead of leaving it there, however, with her triumph of sensitive performance, the Director has her get out of the car and stride along the sidewalk, still holding the audience in thrall, until, inexplicably, she breaks into a huge smile. Whatever can it mean?