'Shadow in the Cloud' Director Roseanne Liang on Chloë Grace Moretz, New Zealand Cinema, and Crafting Genre Thrills
“IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS, YOU FIND WELLS OF STRENGTH INSIDE OF YOURSELF THAT YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW EXISTED.”
It’s thrilling to witness an innovative and confident filmmaker exploding onto our screens - and into our minds - the way New Zealand-born Roseanne Liang has with Shadow in the Cloud, a pulse-pounding action thriller set in World War II that premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The film features a knockout lead performance from Chloë Grace Moretz as Flight Officer Maude Garrett, facing extreme danger while confined to the ball turret of a B-17 Flying Fortress, as well as a brilliant showcase of Liang’s vision, technical ability, and skillful craft. Shadow in the Cloud emerged as one of TIFF’s big winners, receiving the Midnight Madness award. I got the chance to watch Shadow in the Cloud a few hours before I also had the pleasure to sit down with Liang for a short discussion about the film, the cinematic elements that influenced her in making an innovative and memorable genre thriller, and what her heritage as a New Zealander - both personal and cinematic - has meant to her as a filmmaker.
Now, some reviews of Shadow in the Cloud mention it as being Liang’s “debut” feature, but this isn’t really true: in 2011 she released My Wedding and Other Secrets, itself a dramatization of Liang’s earlier documentary Banana in a Nutshell, which intimately covered Liang’s own life amidst a complicated romantic situation at home. My Wedding and Other Secrets was released in New Zealand to general acclaim domestically, but saw limited distribution abroad. Liang then turned her attention to short films as well as online content, writing and directing the hit web series Flat3 and its spinoff-slash-sequel, Friday Night Bites. In addition, her 2017 action short film Do No Harm was one of ten selected as finalists in that year’s Manhattan Short festival and, according to Liang herself, enabled her to secure Los Angeles-based representation, while also opening the necessary doors that led to her helming Shadow in the Cloud.
In talking with Liang about Shadow of the Cloud, I asked her if the film was at all based on a personal interest of her own in World War II or, with its strong female lead character, a deliberate tribute to the women who were integral in the Allied victory in the war. “Not really, actually… it’s not a Lest We Forget movie,” Liang explained, “I think if anyone goes into this movie thinking that it’s a war movie… they’re gonna be disappointed, because I think, at its heart, it’s a genre popcorn film.” Moreso, my conversation with Liang revealed that Shadow in the Cloud typifies the type of film she wants to go on making: “I just want to climb that mountain,” Liang said, referring to the “peak” of said mountain as being “the movies I come back to,” such as Terminator 2, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Die Hard. “That’s my cinematic DNA, and I just want to make movies that are true to that, but always starting from a kernel of truth and meaning.”
That desire for Liang to root her films in some level of truth certainly applies to Shadow in the Cloud: the B-17 fuselage mockup - where virtually all of the film takes place - was specially built on a boat-like hull, so that the set could be rocked and manipulated so as to realistically simulate flight movements, and assist in making audiences feel the claustrophobia that Garrett experiences in the turret. “[Chloë] was on set, inside this little ball… for 10 to 12 hours a day, doing takes of 12 pages per take… that’s what was so interesting to me, because it’s a real crucible of emotions, and feelings, and psychology.” I asked Liang if there were any films that influenced the way that this all came together: she singled out 2010’s Buried and 2013’s Locke for “keeping the tension of the story going… [keeping] you entertained and interested for the duration of a movie in one single space with one [character].” However, what drew Liang to Shadow in the Cloud was how “it starts out with that conceit, but then it breaks out in a really crazy and fun way… the still with the physicality.”
It was in discussing the filmmaking process, including working with editor and fellow New Zealander Tom Eagles, that brought up another topic: the rich cinematic history of New Zealand, and Liang’s ongoing contribution to it. With the exception of the Hong Kong-set Do No Harm, Liang’s body of work to date has quintessentially captured the cultural and social life of New Zealand while still remaining accessible and relatable for anyone, anywhere to watch: even Shadow in the Cloud, while not telling a New Zealand story, still boasts a sizable complement of New Zealand talent and filmmakers in its cast and crew alike. I asked Liang if she hoped to further promote and foster the filmmaking industry of New Zealand in her work, and she responded positively:
“I think we punch above our weight in terms of cinema... I want to bring New Zealand filmmaking to the world. I want to make international projects right here in New Zealand. Peter Jackson's done it, James Cameron's doing it now... you know, we can do this!”
Everyone should keep Roseanne Liang’s name in their minds: I have a feeling her star is rapidly rising. She is a brilliant and charismatic director with complete command of her craft, and I eagerly await her next project. It was a great privilege to speak with her, and I hope everyone enjoys hearing her insights.
SHADOW IN THE CLOUD is written and directed by Roseanne Liang and stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Beulah Koale, and Taylor John Smith. It is slated to debut in theaters in the United States on January 1st, 2021. Check out our full audio interview with Roseanne Liang below.