The Shade (1998 film)

The Shade
French release poster
Directed by	Raphael Nadjari
Produced by	Geoffroy Grison Francesca Feder
Written by	Raphael Nadjari
Starring	Richard Edson Lorie Marino
Music by	John Surman
Cinematography	Laurent Brunet
Edited by	Tom Donahue
Release date	21 May 1999 (1999-05-21) (Cannes)
Country	United States
Language	English

The Shade is Raphael Nadjari's debut feature. This is a modern adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's A Gentle Creature, and takes place in contemporary New York City.

The film tells the story of a Jewish middle aged pawnbroker who meets a mysterious woman who will become his wife without their truly knowing each other. The film begins with Simon, alone in his apartment with the corpse of his wife, Anna, who has just committed suicide. In his grief, he remembers the first time he met her, a year ago when she walked into his pawnbroker's shop in Spanish Harlem. Mysterious Anna, who seems to come from nowhere, impresses solitary Simon with her beauty, and he proposes to her on their first night out. They then enter into a passionate relationship that will lead her to death.