In His Shadow review: A failed attempt at portraying sibling rivalry

Netflix's most recent French crime thriller, In His Shadow, premiered on March 17, portraying a dog-tired tale of the ancient sibling rivalry narrative with a hint of witchcraft, and has been a complete disappointment. While the crime is at its extremes, the one-and-a-half-hour film has been a big failure on the thrilling and audience engagement end.

Disclaimer: This article purely reflects the author's views, which may be subjective in nature.

Although the film starts off on a particularly exciting and captivating note with the witchcraft part of the narrative (which doesn't quite fit anyway throughout the whole story), it gets predictable with the only twist happening: a blind man gets his vision again. There were also a few emotional sequences involved.

Overall, there were multiple unimportant characters, the acting was somewhere below average, there was a lack of suspense, and the ending seemed somewhat vague.

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In His Shadow review: Witchcraft doesn't fit the narrative but is the only considerably thrilling factor about the film

Those watching the French crime-thriller film In His Shadow are in for a below-average experience that involves decent acting, insignificant characters, and unnecessary dramatic sequences that fail to add to the narrative's overall development. Writer-director Marc Fouchard failed to establish his ground with the script, and casting didn't quite help him with what came next.

The movie primarily focuses on sibling rivalry and how, over the years, it turns into pure hatred—with a dash of witchcraft. There are also some elements of the gang and thug-infested streets of France, which again seem vague until it becomes more about how the enemy of an enemy can be one's friend, using it for their own advantage.

In His Shadow starts on a particularly fiery and mystical note, but then immediately takes viewers down an emotional route. As the narrative builds, it fails to introduce all characters in a proper manner or show their part and importance with respect to the storyline. The connection between the characters was never explored, as the film missed a huge chunk while transitioning them from childhood into adulthood.

The plot revolves around Ibrahim (Kaaris) and Adama (Alassane Diong), the two half-brothers, and the former's sister Aissata (Assa Sylla), who shares an equal love for both. When it comes to siblings, there is always a black sheep in the family, and here, Ibrahim plays that part, who turns into a goon after taking to the streets, owing to all the "Keita" family's internal drama.

Ibrahim's actions seem justified to some extent given the lack of fatherly love growing up, but they become unbearable as the story progresses. Moreover, the character himself is jumbled and chaotic in a way that fails to give clarity to the audience. His sister, Aissata, has little to no importance in the overall storyline and only enters certain scenes to add a dramatic flair.

Adama, on the other hand, has a more meaningful role and has all the sympathy until the latter part of the movie, when he manages to gain admiration for his bravery and the smart use of his skill-set. In conclusion, In His Shadows is all about Adama's character development, which can be summed up by a quote their father often said, "Embrace your weakness. Look to make it your strength."

The witch is considered important in certain respects, and it would have helped the film's sinking narrative if her significance were more clearly explained. The character just seems to appear out of nowhere, as the movie has very little about the witch's actual connection to any of the characters. The narrative may seem a little disconnected and anticlimactic to those unfamiliar with certain legends.

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In His Shadow is now streaming on Netflix.