Project Detail

Shadows in the Sun

Synopsis

Hannah lives alone in a large, remote house on England’s north Norfolk coast, where little has changed in fifty years - the marshes, the sand dunes, the pine forests, the long empty beaches and solitary houses under wide, open skies. She and her late husband bought the house after a life filled with theatre, books and travel. She seems perfectly happy with her poetry, her garden and her much younger friend, Joe, a handsome, mysterious young loner who brings her cannabis to ease the pain of a long illness.

When Hannah’s son, Robert arrives with Kate and Sam, his teenage daughter and ten-year-old son, tensions quickly surface. Robert is troubled by Hannah’s intimacy with Joe and is deeply suspicious of his motives, while Kate finds him extremely attractive. Sam, in between, excitedly exploring the nearby ship wreck and roaming the countryside, learns about jealousy and loss.

Robert endeavors to assert his place over Joe and take control of his mother’s life. But ultimately it is through Joe that he comes to understand the people and things in his life that really matter.

Details

Year: 2009
Type of film: Features
Running time: 85 mins
Format: 35mm
Director: David Rocksavage
Producer: Ivan MacTaggart, David Rocksavage
Editor: Eduardo Perez Vidal
Screenwriter: Margaret Glover, David Rocksavage
Director of Photography: Milton Kam
Production Designer: Will Field
Sound: Keith Tunney
Composer: Richard Chester
Principal cast: Jean Simmons, James Wilby, Jamie Dornan, Ophelia Lovibond, Toby Marlow

Genre

Drama

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Wreck Productions

24 Hanway Street
London W1T 1UH
UK

Sales Company

High Point Media Group

Suite 16 Deane House Studios
Greenwood Place
London NW5 1LB
UK

T +44 (0)20 7424 6870

sales@highpointfilms.co.uk

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

"I choose not to bring this into our home.” <br /> “Well it is in our home, isn’t it?” <br /> Newlyweds Jeremy and Norah have recently moved to Ashford, Kent, where they’re trying to start a family, guided by their friendly and punctual fertility app, Try-cycle. Norah, a teacher in a local school, is deeply immersed in the news and social media landscapes, finding validation and purpose through her online interactions. Meanwhile Jeremy, a doctor in a London hospital, yearns for a life less impacted by the plight of others, seeking technology to numb himself from modern day life through the dopamine hits of swipes and likes. <br /> As both local and international events take place with direct implications for the couple, Jeremy prefers not to know what is happening, choosing not to read the news at all. But Norah does, a lot. As Norah consumes more and more news, eventually, will it consume her? <br /> In a world more globally linked than ever, this thrilling psychological drama explores the role of empathy, where the couple's social media consumptions, communities and world views, differ drastically. A heartfelt exploration of love, loneliness and humanity, when we can't switch off in an “always-on” digital age.

Drama Human Rights Thriller