Shadows on the Wall

dir-scr Eromose
prd Eromose, Hunter Arnold, Brandon Victor Dixon, Linda Rubin, Warren Adams
with Brandon Victor Dixon, Naturi Naughton, Orlando Jones, Thomas Sadoski, William Fichtner, Michael J Harney, Amy Sloan, Jon Tenney, Jeremiah King, Julian Wadham, Jonathan Weir, Kenneth Choi
release US 17.Feb.23
22/US 2h02

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With a sharply talented cast, this political thriller is made intriguing as offbeat characters rise above the over-serious plotting and a relentless barrage of enormously important issues. Writer-director Eromose is unpacking a series of connected themes that perpetuate a prejudicial system. But the characters are too deliberately diverse, and scenes are filled with preachy conversations about racism. All of which makes the twisty central plot feel oddly underpowered.

Preparing for a presidential election, Femi (Dixon) is the financial director of the fundraising team for leading candidate Harold (Jones). Femi is kept in check by his wife Maria (Naughton), who is dubious about the political rhetoric. Then he notices a series of large donations that are strangely connected to the number 88. After speaking with his boss Agnes (Sloan), Femi learns from his lively advisor Ira (Sadoski) that this number is a sign that the money is coming from neo-Nazis. So the team becomes desperate to find the source before the press find out.

Very dense dialog repeatedly explains how super PACs launder cash for candidates without any real regulatory oversight, thanks to a Supreme Court decision. And there are also mini rants about everything from tokenism in Black Panther to police racism, with a special dose of conversation about shady campaign finances. Meanwhile, the plot trundles along as Femi follows clues that lead to a far-reaching lesson about American history and slippery morality. And it's no surprise that this leads to a conspiracy that's darkly menacing.

Each cast member injects personality and likeability into his or her character, which helps them remain the focus even as the film tilts at ever-larger ideas. Dixon and Naughton are particularly strong in the central roles, so their family situations become the most compelling things in the movie, especially when their bright-spark son (King) is on-screen. Sadowski gives the movie a blast of jagged sarcasm, while Jones is terrific as the shining-star candidate who surely knows nothing about this tainted money. And strong smaller roles add superb layers.

At its core, the film is challenging the general attitude that it doesn't matter where the money comes from if nobody looks. And if someone does look, the powerful have ways of squirming out of their moral and legal responsibilities. As Femi and his cohorts continually uncover new, even more horrifying secrets and face some truly shady figures, the narrative begins to wobble under its own weight. But in between the many lectures, the more personal drama is remarkably involving.

themes, language, violence 14.Feb.23

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