it end with the declaration that the film you have just see be an improvisation at once make you feel like an idiot for think an improvisation be an good movie and and astound at cassavetes genius . once again . of course and cassavetes tell some guy it wasn not really an improvisation per se and on his deathbed and so . it the story about a light skin black woman and lelia and who pass for white and and her family represent another passing for white brother name ben and and a black black brother name hughie . when she fall in love with a white jerk name tony and he be unpleasantly surprised when he find out she black and and from there it go on about the three main character individual aspiration and shortcoming . hughie be a jazz singer in the process of become a failure and lelia still hopelessly depress over tony and and ben be angsty and violent in general and in desperate need of something to shock him out of his stale pattern of existence . overall and i suppose it really about stasis vs. change in human life . i suspect that cassavetes have the plot organize enough and and it be just the dialogue that be improvise . the dialogue itself be very uneven sometimes somebody will say something very memorable and other time it memorably awkward . what amazing be the extent of the amateur actor embodiment of their character . cassavetes go through the acting class he be teach at the time he decide to do shadow and whisper in the ear of the ten best student and and this be the result . the guys playing ben and hughie be very good . at first i do not like lelia and but a the film progress you see more and more she one of those actor who get well a the tension and drama build not necessarily the best with small talk . shadow be hail by many a the forerunner of the indie film movement ( make in 1959 ) and it definitely recommend .