Shadows in the sun (Joshua Jackson)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s nearly eleven years since we watched the 2005 film ‘Shadows in the sun’. I hadn’t remembered anything about it; we watched it last night and I had no memory of it at all, though my husband recalled one or two brief scenes. 

The story features a thirty-something man called Jeremy (Joshua Jackson) who works for an editing company in London. His boss (John Rhys-Davies) notes that another company has just signed up a writer who had not produced anything for a decade. He asks Jeremy what he thinks of another writer, Weldon Parish. Jeremy mentions that he loved a book Weldon had written when Jeremy was a child. However, he had apparently stopped writing when his wife had died twenty years earlier.

The boss announces that Jeremy is to travel to Tuscany, in Italy, to recruit Weldon to their books. Jeremy doesn’t believe it’s possible, but has no choice. We see him travelling in a smart suit, with his briefcase and his determination to attempt what might be impossible.

At first, nobody in the village admits to knowing anything about Weldon (Harvey Keitel), but eventually Jeremy discovers where he lives. Many attempts are made to put him off, to persuade him that his task is fruitless, and he nearly returns to London… but something about Weldon’s brashness (and, sometimes, direct rudeness) makes Jeremy push harder. And while Weldon insists that he hates editors, there’s something about Jeremey that sparks a chord.

There’s also Isabella (Clare Forlani), one of Weldon’s daughters. Jeremy is very attracted to her, and it’s clear that she is interested in him, although their lives are about as disparate as possible. 

The film is beautifully made, and I was totally absorbed in the story. There’s some humour - a couple of places where we almost laughed aloud - and also a great deal of poignancy. I loved the way that Weldon and Jeremy gradually start to understand each other better. Their chemistry and banter works perfectly. 

While Jeremy tries to work on Weldon’s stubbornness, convinced that he really does want to write, it’s clear that it’s Jeremy himself that is changing more. Jeremy wants to be a writer too but is unsure whether he will ever make it. He gradually gets to know other people locally, and even endears himself to some of them. I liked the way that his outfits become - slowly - more and more informal as he starts to relax. 

There’s some stunning photography in this film, and some unexpected musical background that works extremely well. There are a few shocking scenes - Weldon can be quite dramatic and outspoken, and he’s quite a man of action - and some excellent dance scenes. I loved the background of local women sitting on benches, and men wandering around; this village is totally different from Jeremy’s organised, sterile life in London. 

The rating is 12, and I thought that was about right. There’s a refreshing lack of bad language, and only minor violence without any gore. There’s a lot of drinking and smoking, which might disturb some, and there’s also some nudity, though it’s tastefully done and in the context of swimming.  There is one ‘intimate’ scene, but that’s brief and mostly left to the imagination. 

But it’s a film that is unlikely to appeal to children or younger teenagers anyway, involving as it does the theme of loss, and of struggling to find one’s place in the world.

Overall, we liked it very much.  

There are some extras, a ‘making of’ and some interviews, but I didn’t watch them this time.

Review copyright 2026 Sue's DVD Reviews