"Northern Shade" - Editorial Film Review
- wcthompson
- Mar 28, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 2, 2024
Written for The Soundview Media Partners (originally published April 2023)
“A very timely portrayal of the chaos we have endured over the past few years. Recommended.”
Winner of numerous awards and given high praise in the film community, “Northern Shade” is hauntingly poignant in its delivery. Filmed in a post-war noir style reminiscent of 1940’s films produced following WW2, director Christopher Rucinski makes his feature film debut, turning in a creation that is worthy of attention. Starring Jesse Gavin, Titania Galliher, Romano Orzari, and Joseph Poliquin, the film crafts a mind-bending story about an Army veteran named Justin (Gavin) who grapples with his existence in the civilian world while becoming intertwined with the reckoning of his past.
Justin’s peaceful but troubled isolation on a houseboat in Connecticut is upturned when his brother Charlie goes missing. Justin meets with his mother who insists that he reach out to Charlie, and though their relationship is strained, he ponders the responsibility he has to his family. After a jarring visit from a private investigator named Frankie (Galliher), he begins to realize that Charlie’s disappearance is more sinister than he initially thought.
After some digging, Justin stumbles upon a militia group occupying a location where Charlie is thought to be. During Justin’s hostile visit to the territory, a stern and grave threat is delivered by the group’s enigmatic leader Billy (Orzari), who attempts to recruit Justin due to his combat acumen. This is what happens when military forces go rogue at home; men come home from war and cannot leave their rage behind, perpetually at war in their minds.
Through Frankie’s guidance and insistence, Justin engages on a mission to liberate his brother from the extremists he has become entangled with. In a nail-biting and emotional journey, the duo learns of the militia’s plot to stage an attack on a government building. They must rescue Charlie and put a stop to the plans before more lives are lost.
This film implores the viewer to ask difficult questions in an uncertain, turbulent America, having been filmed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which is referenced frequently in the dialogue. During the film’s production, militia and police groups were foiled in a kidnapping plot of Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, shortly followed by the Capitol riots. A very timely portrayal of the chaos we have endured over the past few years, and the melding of dangerous ideologies.
Everything is connected, nothing is what it seems. Even amongst family members, who can really be trusted when there is evil in the world?
Recommended - C. Sterling for The Sound View
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