Above The Shadows
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''Above the Shadows'' is a 2019 supernatural
romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...
film written and directed by
Claudia Myers Claudia Myers is an American screenwriter, director and producer. In addition, she is an associate professor of Film and Media at American University's School of Communication. Early life Myers received an M.F.A from Columbia University's Sch ...
. The film stars
Olivia Thirlby Olivia Jo Thirlby (born October 6, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Leah in the comedy-drama film '' Juno'' (2007),Louie, Rebecca (June 28, 2008).Olivia Thirlby is smoking in 'The Wackness'". '' Daily News''. Retr ...
,
Alan Ritchson Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Aquaman / Arthur Curry on The CW superhero series ''Smallville'' (2005–2010), where he appeared as a guest star between the fifth and 10th seas ...
,
Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...
,
Maria Dizzia Maria Dizzia is an American actress. Dizzia was nominated for the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in '' In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)''. Early life and education Raised in Cranfo ...
,
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz () is an American politican and retired mixed martial artist and Submission grappling, submission grappler. Ortiz is best known for his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC ...
,
David Johansen David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Po ...
in his final feature film and
Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film ''Holiday in the Sun (film), Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such a ...
. It had its world premiere at the
Brooklyn Film Festival The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is an independent film festival held every June in New York City. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, Abe Schrager, and Mario Pegoraro in ...
on May 31, 2019, and was released to
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
and select theaters on July 19, 2019, by
Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an American film distribution company owned by Shout! Studios. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles in 2006, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Cleveland in 2019. It focuses on the distribu ...
.


Plot

Holly (Olivia Thirlby) was once a happy child, but after the death of her mother, she gradually became invisible—first emotionally, then physically—to everyone around her, including her own family. As she grew older, her presence completely faded, leaving her alone in a world where no one could see or acknowledge her existence. Over time, she adapted to her isolation, using her invisibility to her advantage by working as a paparazzo. She sneaks into celebrity hotspots, capturing scandalous photos and selling them to tabloids, finding a strange sense of purpose in exposing the lives of others. One night, while taking photos in a nightclub, Holly is stunned to realize that a man—Shayne Blackwell (Alan Ritchson), a former MMA fighter—can see her. Shayne had been a rising star in the fighting world but fell from grace after being caught in a compromising photograph with another woman, which led to the breakdown of his relationship with Juliana (Megan Fox) and the loss of his career. Holly soon realizes, to her horror, that she was the one who took and leaked the photo that destroyed his life. Wracked with guilt, Holly follows Shayne and learns that he is now working as a bouncer at the same nightclub where she found him. Desperate to make amends, she approaches him and offers to help him reclaim his career. Though initially skeptical, Shayne accepts her assistance when she proves herself useful in his training and in navigating the brutal world of professional fighting. As they work together, Holly encourages him to push himself back into the spotlight, helping him regain his confidence and find new fight opportunities. As Shayne progresses, he and Holly grow close, forming a deep bond built on trust and mutual support. For the first time in years, Holly feels seen—not just physically, but emotionally. At the same time, she begins to notice subtle changes in her condition: the more she connects with Shayne, the more she seems to regain her presence in the world. However, complications arise when Juliana re-enters Shayne’s life, drawn by his comeback. Holly realizes that Shayne still has a lingering desire to reclaim his old life in its entirety, including Juliana. Shayne and Holly part on bad terms, and Holly wakes up to find herself invisible to Shayne as well as herself. Holly is forced to confront the emotional wounds that led to her invisibility in the first place. She returns to her childhood home and faces her estranged father and siblings, who have no memory of her. She begins to realize that the grief of her mothers’s loss affected the rest of her family as well. She finally acknowledges that her isolation was a self-imposed defense mechanism against pain and rejection. Holly rushes to Shayne’s fight, and as the two reconcile her presence is fully restored. Shayne loses the fight, but runs after Holly and professes his love for her. The film ends as Holly embraces her dad.


Cast

*
Olivia Thirlby Olivia Jo Thirlby (born October 6, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Leah in the comedy-drama film '' Juno'' (2007),Louie, Rebecca (June 28, 2008).Olivia Thirlby is smoking in 'The Wackness'". '' Daily News''. Retr ...
as Holly ** Fina Strazza as Young Holly *
Alan Ritchson Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Aquaman / Arthur Curry on The CW superhero series ''Smallville'' (2005–2010), where he appeared as a guest star between the fifth and 10th seas ...
as Shayne *
Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...
as Paul Jederman *
Maria Dizzia Maria Dizzia is an American actress. Dizzia was nominated for the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in '' In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)''. Early life and education Raised in Cranfo ...
as Victoria Jederman *
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz () is an American politican and retired mixed martial artist and Submission grappling, submission grappler. Ortiz is best known for his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC ...
as Attila *
David Johansen David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Po ...
as Ron *
Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film ''Holiday in the Sun (film), Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such a ...
as Juliana * Justine Cotsonas as Vanessa ** Lauren Hartman as Young Vanessa * Owen Campbell as Troy ** Alex Gemeinhardt as Young Troy *
Pawel Szajda Pawel B. Szajda ( ; born January 13, 1982) is an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Under the Tuscan Sun'', ''Generation Kill'', '' Tatarak,'' and as Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Poletov in the third season of the A ...
as Marjus * Patricia Pinto as Dancer * Taylor Selé as Tommy Bones * Thomas Canestraro as Carlos Suarez * Kareem Savinon as Brandon * R. Marcos Taylor as Khan * Laura Heywood as Reporter #2


Production

The film is based on an original script written by director Claudia Myers. On November 1, 2017, it was announced that
Olivia Thirlby Olivia Jo Thirlby (born October 6, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Leah in the comedy-drama film '' Juno'' (2007),Louie, Rebecca (June 28, 2008).Olivia Thirlby is smoking in 'The Wackness'". '' Daily News''. Retr ...
,
Alan Ritchson Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Aquaman / Arthur Curry on The CW superhero series ''Smallville'' (2005–2010), where he appeared as a guest star between the fifth and 10th seas ...
,
Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...
and
Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film ''Holiday in the Sun (film), Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such a ...
were set to star in the film, which, at the time, was named ''Shadow Girl''. ''Above the Shadows'' was produced by Tony Award-nominated company, HIPZEE, in association with Myriad Pictures, Boundary Stone Films and BondIt Media Capital.


Release

''Above the Shadows'' premiered at the 22nd
Brooklyn Film Festival The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is an independent film festival held every June in New York City. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, Abe Schrager, and Mario Pegoraro in ...
(BFF) on May 31, 2019. It won the BFF Audience Choice Award for Narrative Feature. In May 2019,
Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an American film distribution company owned by Shout! Studios. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles in 2006, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Cleveland in 2019. It focuses on the distribu ...
acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film and set it for a July 19, 2019 release.


Reception

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews from critics. Courtney Howard of ''Variety'' wrote: "This magical-realist fairy tale, about a young woman feeling so isolated and insignificant after a tragic loss that she's literally invisible to everyone except one other struggling soul, is certainly imaginative and intelligent in its ideas. However, the savvy smarts within don't quite sustain the running time and, much like its protagonist, the film becomes transparent in its motives and sentimentality." John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote: "Though it may be amusing to watch Holly sneak around and expose others' lies, it would be much more fun if her own story rang true." Noel Murray of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote: "Thirlby gives a good performance as someone who finds it easier to remain a non-person than to make any effort to fix her life. But the more Holly comes into view, the blander her character becomes."


References


External links


Official Site
* {{IMDb title, 4622682 2010s American films 2010s English-language films 2010s romance films 2010s supernatural films 2019 films American supernatural romance films Films set in New York (state) Mixed martial arts films English-language romance films