Above the Shadows

After the death of her mom, a young woman named Holly (Olivia Thirlby) has faded from the world to the point of becoming invisible where her family, teachers, and classmates can't see her. After more than a decade existing in the shadows, Holly meets the one man who can see her, Shayne Blackwell (Alan Ritchson), a disgraced MMA fighter. Holly discovers that it was one of her tabloid photographs that caused his downfall, and she must restore him to his former glory if she wants to regain a foothold in the world around her. With Shayne, Holly awakens to love, but also to the possibility that she may remain invisible forever. She also falls in love with the MMA fighter.

• Olivia Thirlby as Holly
  • Fina Strazza as Young Holly
• Alan Ritchson as Shayne
• Jim Gaffigan as Paul Jederman
• Maria Dizzia as Victoria Jederman
• Tito Ortiz as Attila
• David Johansen as Ron
• Megan Fox as Juliana
• Justine Cotsonas as Vanessa
  • Lauren Hartman as Young Vanessa
• Owen Campbell as Troy
  • Alex Gemeinhardt as Young Troy
• Pawel Szajda as Marjus
• Patricia Pinto as Dancer
• Taylor Selé as Tommy Bones
• Thomas Canestraro[2] as Carlos Suarez
• Kareem Savinon as Brandon
• R. Marcos Taylor as Khan
• Laura Heywood as Reporter #2

The film is based on an original script written by director Claudia Myers. On November 1, 2017, it was announced that Olivia Thirlby, Alan Ritchson, Jim Gaffigan, and Megan Fox were set to star in the film, which, at the time, was named Shadow Girl.[3][4] Above the Shadows was produced by Tony Award-nominated company, HIPZEE,[5] in association with Myriad Pictures, Boundary Stone Films, and BondIt Media Capital.[6]

Above the Shadows premiered at the 22nd Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) on May 31, 2019.[7][8][9] It won the BFF Audience Choice Award for Narrative Feature.[10] In May 2019, Gravitas Ventures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film and set for a July 19, 2019, release.[6]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 70% based on reviews from 10 critics.[11][12]

Courtney Howard of Variety wrote: "This magical-realist fairy tale, about a young woman feeling so isolated and insignificant after a tragic loss that she’s literally invisible to everyone except one other struggling soul, is certainly imaginative and intelligent in its ideas. However, the savvy smarts within don’t quite sustain the running time and, much like its protagonist, the film becomes transparent in its motives and sentimentality."[13]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Though it may be amusing to watch Holly sneak around and expose others' lies, it would be much more fun if her own story rang true."[14]

Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Thirlby gives a good performance as someone who finds it easier to remain a non-person than to make any effort to fix her life. But the more Holly comes into view, the blander her character becomes."[15]

• Official Site
• Above the Shadows at IMDb
• Above the Shadows at AllMovie