Experiencing Interruptions?

Lear's Shadow

In Lear’s Shadow, a young college acting student, Sam Cartwin, struggles with isolation, self-doubt, and a crumbling sense of reality as he rehearses for a university production of King Lear. His desperate need for validation collides with his fading confidence, leading to surreal and disorienting experiences both in and out of the classroom. As reality blurs with performance, Sam is forced to confront the terrifying possibility that he is nothing more than a shadow—both of Lear’s and of himself. This psychological short explores themes of artistic insecurity, mental health, and the perilous line between performance and person-hood.

  • Michael Cherry
    Director
    Mosquito, -ITIS, The Tibbles Saga
  • Michael Cherry
    Writer
    Alethia, -ITIS
  • Julia Messick
    Producer
    Funnel Cake, Nightlight, Solstice
  • Caroline Lathrop
    Director of Photography
    Population 11, Bargaining Acceptance, The Heart Room
  • Melanie Skoupil
    Assistant Camera
    Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit, Madame Web, Challengers
  • Wallace Hallot
    Gaffer
    Rebirth, Audio Hoarder, Fool's Gold
  • Gregor Patti
    Key Cast
    "Sam"
    The Jacksons, Where the Crawdads Sing, Speech & Debate
  • Devin Burnam
    Key Cast
    "Giuseppe"
    Homicide City, Of Night and Wind, The Third Ear
  • Annika Burley
    Key Cast
    "Emily"
    Macbeth, HAIR, The Ordinary Hero
  • Kimberly Rose
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
    Mic Check on the Ground Floor, Art It Is, Affluenza, The Bodyguard
  • Amar Daulet-Singh
    Key Cast
    "Josh"
    The Book Club, The Pass, Etched Glass Decanter (Off-Broadway)
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 24, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    3,200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Pratt Institute
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    August 24, 2023
    North American Premiere
    Honorable Mention for Best Student Male Director and Best Actor
Distribution Information
  • Indigo Studios
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Michael Cherry

Michael Cherry is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, who has had experience writing, directing, and editing several short films throughout his career. Having earned his BFA in Film/Video Production from Pratt Institute, Michael has dabbled in many various genres and cinematic mediums over the years, including narrative shorts as well as experimental and interview-form documentaries. He is primarily focused on creating dramatic works that veer into various genres, creating a combined effect that is at one time surreal, and other times realistic. The dissolution of reality, perspective, and existentialism are frequent themes in his work, and he often tries to explore the nature of the human psyche by setting his stories in dark, challenging environments.

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Director Statement

Lear’s Shadow was born out of a deeply personal place. At the time I wrote and directed this film, I was navigating one of the most difficult periods in my life—mentally, emotionally, and creatively. I felt stuck in a loop of self-doubt, plagued by the fear that I wasn’t good enough to belong in the spaces I found myself, especially as an artist. This film became a way for me to process that experience and externalize the inner chaos that I couldn’t always articulate.

The story of Sam is, in many ways, a mirror of my own struggles: the quiet desperation to be seen, the pressure to perform not just onstage but in life, and the paralyzing fear of being nothing—of being invisible. Theater, with its intensity and intimacy, felt like the perfect world to explore those feelings. King Lear, a play about identity, madness, and the painful pursuit of meaning, served as a powerful framework to stage a personal unraveling.

Directing this film was not just an artistic endeavor—it was a coping mechanism. It gave shape to something shapeless, and through the process, I found clarity, healing, and a renewed sense of self. Now, on the other side of that darkness, I’m in a much better place. And while I no longer feel the same pain that inspired this project, I’m grateful for what it taught me and proud of how it helped me reclaim my voice.

I hope Lear’s Shadow resonates with anyone who’s ever felt lost in their own head, unsure of their worth, or afraid of the silence that follows doubt. This film is for them—and for the version of myself who needed it most.