Review of Shadowlands

Shadowlands is a touching and inspired love story, an earnest, compelling study of faith (and faith in crisis) and a profoundly mediocre film. But I suppose it is a BBC presentation afterall, and that said, there is nothing glaringly wrong with the film-making in terms of quality, but then again, theres not much to sing about either. The performances in this film are strong throughout, the cinematography stands up, and the music is dreadfully monotonous. I suspect most people viewing this film will have an inherent interest in the life of C.S. Lewis and they should walk away satisfied. Others, however, may find the depiction of their beloved writer and man of God a little disarming. Or they may struggle alligning their own world-views with the portrait of faith and Christianity presented here. Personally I've felt moments of spirituality just as, or more, intensely while sipping a beer in a bar room as I have inside any church. For this reason, in terms of the way Shadowland treats faith, I found the films ability to tightrope walk between the secular and the spiritual to be its greatest strength.