Ada and Lise are both costume designers, the first is around 20, the other around 30. Both are working hard on their break through. There are also jobs for the movies. This is where Lise meets producer Alphonse, who is nearly 20 years older than she. Because he is unhappy with his girlfriend a secret relationship evolves. Ada has problems as well, but she's not the only one. There are also the young Emma and Nina, as well as Yves and Guido - enough people to get into complicated relationship entanglements.
Acting
Bonham Carter's raw vulnerability before Burton-era quirk took over.
Costume
Costume designers designing costumes—meta layers upon layers.
Direction
Dugowson's dreamy 90s Paris, all cigarettes and unspoken longing.
Director
Martine Dugowson
Helena Bonham Carter
Ada
Romane Bohringer
Lisa
Marie Trintignant
Nina
Elsa Zylberstein
Emma
Yvan Attal
Yves
Sergio Castellitto
Guido
Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović
Alphonse
Jean-Claude Brialy
Rene Sandre
Mathilde Seigner
Fanny
Jean-Philippe Écoffey
Philippe
Sophie Simon
Agnes
Jean-Bernard Guillard
Thomas
Pierre Baillot
Monsieur Verdoux
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Martine Dugowson's directorial debut, and she cast Bonham Carter after seeing her in A Room with a View—apparently Helena's French was 'passable enough to break hearts.'
Shadow Play captures a specific 90s European indie moment—think Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors but with more cigarettes and less hope. It barely got a US release because distributors didn't know how to market 'sad French people being complicated.'
FR
