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Trailer Watch: Alexandre Nahon’s Burning Shadow
French-born, LA-living filmmaker Alexandre Nahon premieres his directorial debut, Burning Shadow, tonight at the Miami Beach Cinematheque as part of its Art Basel screening series. The film, which has been described as having a Lynch or Cronenbergian vibe, is a take on one of my favorite storylines — the doppelganger tale, this time set in a City of Angels neo-noir universe. Filmmaker readers will recognize Nahon from his roles in Julie Delpy’s 2 Days films.
Following the premiere, there will be the opening at the same venue of Nahon’s 3D 35mm photo show, “I Will Take You Out of Here,” which features portraits of various artists and filmmakers, including Paul Schrader.
Burning Shadow is a twisted, supernatural thriller about obsession and the darkness of the human soul. Charlie (Matthew Dennis Lewis, Godless) is a young loner who works at a diner for a mirthless boss (Julie Delpy, Before Midnight), struggling to even pay his rent. Seemingly his only friend is regular customer Mr. Jones (Roger Guenveur Smith, American Gangster), an affable businessman with ties to the mob. Jones also runs a nightclub which Charlie visits and soon begins his obsession with one of the dancers, Summer (Roxane Mesquida, Kiss of the Damned). Charlie crosses paths with a blind homeless man who is his exact double, a doppelganger. What follows is a haunting decent into fear, desperation, infatuation and greed, told through the lens of classic film noir, with a celestial twist.
Burning Shadow is the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Alexandre Nahon. Nahon co-wrote 2 Days in New York starring Chris Rock and Julie Delpy. He is also a reknowned photographer, having shot campaigns for Macy’s and music videos for such artists as Lykke Li and Adan Jodorowsky.
