New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) – Do you like psychology and philosophy? Do you enjoy movies that delve into questions of human nature head-first and come up without black-and-white answers? Do you just like rich, dark fantasy-esque visuals? Watch Shadows. Trust me.

“The more evil a person is, the more he wants to pretend otherwise.”

Shadows is a 2020 Cantonese-language film set in Hong Kong. Through sterile hospital settings and grisly crime scenes, it explores the Jungian psychological concept of the “shadow self” – the idea that, in addition to the self we present to the world, we all have a dark side, and we must embrace this dark side or “shadow self” in order to be whole.

Dr. Tsui Ching (Stephy Tang) is not your average psychiatrist. As a side effect of a brain tumor, she is able to literally see the workings of other people’s brains, walking through the scenes of distress or abuse that bring them to her in order to help them. Following a panel with fellow psychiatrist Dr. Yan, she finds her optimistic views of humanity increasingly challenged – an upset that only grows as she begins consulting on a local murder investigation. Answers become harder and harder to come by, even with Dr. Tsui’s supernatural gifts.

Through a twisting investigation fraught with ulterior motives and personal struggles, Dr. Tsui and Officer Ho (Philip Keung) must wrestle with the recurring question: is humanity really evil after all, or is someone manipulating things to make it look that way? It may drift into hokey territory from time to time, but Shadows is an overall solid film with some serious punch, great acting, and gorgeous visuals.

Of course, with its heavy themes of abuse, Shadows won’t be for everyone. It’s a very dark and grim tale, and there’s not much closure to be found in it. But for those who can stomach it, it is well worth its hour and a half runtime.

The film will screen as part of the New York Asian Film Festival, happening August 6-22.

8.5 out of 10