Shade of Grey (2008) - By Josh Samford

Film Reviews: Shade of Grey (2008) - By Josh Samford
Posted on Monday, February 02, 2009 @ 19:21:07 Mountain Standard Time by Duane

Jakob Bilinski is a filmmaker I am happy to find myself growing familiar with. The last time he submitted anything to the Magazine for our review I was lucky enough to check out his first two forays into filmmaking, the quirky courtroom drama Mime and the spectacular dedication to exploitation cinema that was Foxxy Madonna Vs. The Black Death. Two very different but well made shorts that really caught my attention. After Bilinski's success with Foxxy Madonna he has set out in his first feature film trying for a completely different direction than that of his previous shorts. With Shade of Grey Bilinski takes on a slightly surreal and idea driven piece that delivers in a very emotional and profound way; more so than I am accustomed to in most cinematic outings. In a film that at times feels as if it's a continuous string of non-related scenes, we are drawn back to the forefront with a reminder of the fragility of life within a series of complex moral dilemmas. The film can be thought of in many ways, but the shades of grey implied within the title do fit the various scenarios - as sometimes our greatest villains are just as traumatized as we are by their actions.

Shade of Grey is based upon the old "if these walls could talk" form of thinking, in that if we spend so much time in one residence do we at some point begin to leave pieces of ourselves in these places. It's a loose philosophical question that allows us to explore the drama that the film presents, with a series of stories only drawn together in the fact that they all take place in the same room, #123 of an average run of the mill hotel. The room shows the conception of a child, its birth, a drug deal gone wrong and numerous instances of infidelity and tragedy. Each story at first seems to go on unresolved, but patience is the key as the stories begin to unravel and jump back and forth in their own separate continuity. The script is multi layered and far more complex than it even had to be, in that the film would have been fine with a more by the books and cohesive narrative, but it just makes the film that much more refreshing after all is said and done. However, from the first frame until the closing credits the one thing that continues to impress is the visual style of the film. Foxx Madonna was a pretty impressive looking short itself, but Bilinksi and his crew really stepped up to the plate in this feature in terms of cinematography. I know it's probably cheesy and I'm likely not the first to take notice, but for a film with the title Shade of Grey, I don't think there's a shot in the film that really features any kind of placid color pallette. Wild greens, illuminant blues and a plethora of colors take hold of the screen during the course of the film and help keep the film visually stunning all throughout.

No film is perfect however, and Shade of Grey is no different. Some performances come off as flat, which is expected from actors with limited experience - and at times the film may come across as a little slow, but if you have the patience to hang in there you'll receive a very passionate and interesting film that proves an outstanding mix of drama, tragedy and style. There's even a bit of bloody violence for my fellow horror fanatics out there! In a scene that all but rips your heart right out of your chest and chews on it as the very talented Jomar 'Dez' Banks from Foxxy Madonna is used to great effect once again by Bilinski. I won't spoil the mayhem, but let's just say that it certainly seems inspired by the hotel scene in DePalma's Scarface. Cinephreak are putting it out there with Shade of Grey and in my opinion Bilinski's film turns out as a complete success. A thoughtful and heart wrenching drama, something that can change minds and do great things when done right. I highly recommend the film and hope everyone who can will check it out as soon as possible. You can find out more about Cinephreak Pictures at their official myspace page located here.