Above the Shadows

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Cork B @RT87142816 Nov 9 Premise is goofy - middle child becomes LITERALLY invisible - but once you get past the hook, the film is remarkably well written. The things that are dumb and cannot be explained remain that way, and you are left with a heartwarming tale of redemption. Casting is maybe not stellar, but it is solid. I also appreciate the lack of mood music and the cutaways that avoid unnecessary fight scenes. See more Lemmiblog T @Lemmiblog 05/21/2025 UNSICHTBAR, TOD ODER IGNORIERT Holly kann nackt umher laufen wann immer sie will, denn niemand sieht sie und daher kann sie tun und lassen wonach ihr ist. Mit Fotos von untreuen Promis verdient sie ihr Geld, doch als eines Tages der ehemalige MMA Champ Shayne sie sieht entbrennen in Holly Gefühle, die sie seit dem Tod ihrer Mutter nicht mehr hatte. Above the Shadows von 2019 geht ca. 105 Minuten und ist eine Fantasy-Romanze mit unteranderem Alan Richtson in der Hauptrolle des knallharten MMA Kämpfers der aber natürlich einen weichen Kern hat. Im Grunde ist das alles hier recht süß, eine junge Frau die zwar alles tun kann aber dennoch nie Wärme, Geborgenheit oder Liebe erfahren hat endeckt rasant schnell alle diese Gefühle wegen Shayne. Allerdings ist die Chemie zwischen den Schauspielern nicht die allerbeste, die Grundlogik für ihr unsichtbar sein ist quasi nicht existent und wieso nur Shayne sie sehen kann wird auch nicht erklärt, kann mir zwar denken wieso ergibt aber dennoch keinen Sinn. Ist sie Tod, ein Geist, man weiss es nicht. Die ganze Story um Holly ist eh ziemlicher Unsinn, ihre Familie kennt sie nicht und sogar ihr Zimmer ist plötzlich eine Abstellkammer, als hätte sie nie existiert. Warum das so ist, vielleicht ein Drehbuch Trauma eines nie gesehenen mittleren Kindes, ich weiss es nicht, erklärt wird es nie. Alan Richtson beeindruckt wie immer durch seine Physis, wobei er hier definierter und weniger massig ist. Die Kämpfe selbst sind zwar kein Undispudit aber in Ordnung. Das Finale sprengt dann sämtliche Regeln, da aber nie erklärt wird was eigentlich mit Holly ist kann man dem Streifen auch nicht böse sein wenn er eine 180 Grad Drehung macht damit es ein Happy End gibt. Am Ende bleibt ein unterdurchschnittlicher Streifen der keine überzeugende Romantik hat, eine mehr als bescheuerte Grundidee besitzt und Alan Richtson ohne Shirt zu zeigen reicht halt bei weitem nicht. Von mir bekommt der Film 4,5/10 Punkten. Natürlich ist Liebe die Antwort auf alles, ist allerdings genauso kitschig und sinnlos wie im realen Leben. See more amy W @RT44038520 09/27/2024 I think the reviews for this should be far better. Every now and again you come across a film that is really good and this was one of them. It was mesmerising, well acted, not high budget but so well done. The performances from the actors were captivating and there was obvious chemistry between the two lead actors. It was a beautiful love story, with a little bit of magic thrown in and a story about triumph over adversity and grief. See more John O @ThreeRivers 02/28/2024 Spoilers: This confirms yet again what a gem Olivia Thirlby is, and I've liked her since I I first saw her on film years ago. It is no mean feat to play a fantastic parable or metaphor -- or simile as her Mom told her early on -- rather than straight narrative real life. She felt invisible because she was shattered by the grief of losing her Mom at age 12. And she played it out that way, as that grief forced her away from everyone mentally, emotionally. The creativity by writer/director Myers in making that forced distance from family and everyone alike into "real" invisibility was both risky and refreshing. And did Olivia and Ritchson ever pull it off. It was not explained how she got invisible or how Shane was the only one who could see Holly because it was inexplicable, almost magical, but really a plot device to pull us in and like her as much as Emma Stone in "La La Land," and Alan as much as Sly Stallone in "Rocky." The point is if you think life should be smooth with an attitude of what can life do for me, you are set up to be smashed, made invisible to not just others but also yourself in hard times. But if you can take the blows and ask what can I do for others despite my pain, everything turns around and you become visible again to others -- and to yourself. I cared about these characters. Bravo for both creative and bang-up storytelling. The metaphor of the mixed martial arts cage for planet Earth also worked, as Shane both saw and accepted the beauty of not just the training required but also the thought symphony of what to do and when, when wrestling is melded with kick boxing in the cage. With preparation, you can get through it. See more 01/19/2024 Being above the shadows is a curse Megan Fox, Olivia Thirlby, Alan Ritchson star in a sports drama with a supernatural twist to it Director Claudia Myers makes a sort of 'Ghost' meets 'Rocky' Holly grew up with her parents and two siblings But her mother got sick and passed away; as the years rolled by Holly literally started fading out of existence with no one around noticing Her being visible and remembered was gone All grown up Holly now has a chance to help someone, in this case it's a disgraced MMA fighter Shane Blackwell If she succeeds she can perhaps regain her stance in the world It stinks that Megan Fox doesn't show up until an hour and 6 minutes in with only 2 scenes and this acts more like a drama The fights are far and few in between which is a shame I really would've preferred more fun too with the whole invisible aspect Plus we never see Holly interacting with her brother and sister face-to-face even as an adult giving proper closure But Myers' heart is in the right place having a look at trauma affect people even the marginalized ones making them feel invisible Profound grief and monumental loss is a universal thing the film touches upon I just wish this could've been a more exciting combination of two genres because I've seen it done better and less lagging Performers are good even if the ending is a bit contrived and there's no explanation for the supposed metaphor presented See more John W @RT82727238 11/10/2023 Decent story and pretty good acting. Is it wrong that I think Alan Ritchson's best performance was Thad Castle? Regardless he's an underrated actor who may be overshadowed by his imposing size and look. It's also a pretty good morality play about the dangers of being self-centered....if one cared to see it. 😉 See more Read all reviews

Above the Shadows

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