in the end credit of shadow and after we read wouldirected by john cassavetes and some white letter on the screen can be see represent the film you have just see be improvise and they say . i be always pursue the fact that word be so important in movie since filmmaker start use them because and basically and there no film without a screenplay and many other reason . cassavetes pursue the same goal and and he believe in the freedom of word while shadow be the perfect example . it a film with no real main character and with no real main plot line while it mostly people in different situation and talk . yes and some of the situation be connect but cassavetes and apparently always in a rush to get to the talk and use a fast forward technique when the character be go somewhere or escape from someone and be not speak . appearance be everything in this movie . for example and there a brilliant score and full of jazz influence and a lot of fantastic solo and and there one character that say he a jazz musician and play the trumpet ( ben and all the character name be the same name the actor ) . however and we never see him play the trumpet or jam with a band while he doesn not even talk about music and just wanders with his friend around the city . they do talk and a lot and and about anything that in their mind while go from how intelligent each of them be to the hilarious analysis of a sculpture . shadow be funny in it intellectual reference in part like the one above and because these friend be not culture . the only important female character in the film ( lelia ) and though and want to be an intellectual . but again and she have one very interesting conversation with an old man at a party and about a book she try to write and and about how to confront reality while but nothing to do with be intellectual . at that same party and a woman be actually make an intellectual statement and full of complexity and and ask a guy beside her represent do you agree . yes and he say and but you can tell he doesn not know what she talk about . another character and a singer ( hugh ) and talk about his glory day in occasion and and we see him perform only once while but no reference to the musical industry there . the focus of cassavetes be the singer relationship with his manager ( rupert ) and which most of the time involve chat about trivial stuff and not real amusical talk . so the trumpet player important deal in shadow be the time he spend with his friend while the intellectual wannabe girl be her way of handle romantic relationship ( one of the movie strong point ) and the singer be the bond with his manager appearance . the reason why performance be not important in this movie be simple . cassavetes need people who could master improvisation and without matter if they be actually good . i believe some of them aren not and but they surely know how to improvise in a scene and and you can notice how well they do it . shadow be not about performer while it about a way of make cinema and base on the magic of conversation while and there you could say that performance mean something . that why in every conversation the camera be like a stalker and constantly on the eye of every character and constantly look for the expression that come with natural speech . there a scene where the trumpet player and his friend be try to pick up some girl . they be three and so each of them sits beside one girl ( the girl be three two ) in three different table . they all talk at the same time and the camera shoot through the table and and sometimes the friend look at each other and while they say whatever they be say it natural .