Laura (Dina Korzun) wonders what she's gotten herself into in 40 SHADES OF BLUE.

A hauntingly dramatic film, FORTY SHADES OF BLUE follows the life of Laura, a Russian woman with a 3 year old son she has with Adam (Rip Torn) a much older gentleman. Things start to change with Adam's adult son, Micheal (Darren Burrows) shows up wanting to both get away from and make sense of his own marriage.

There is a lot to take in when watching this film. The story itself doesn't leap out at you, but rather slowly brings you into an understand of what Laura is going through; She is lonely and depressed but feels she has no right to complain as she has all that she 'needs.' The arrival of Michael awakens something inside that at first she resists but eventually succumbs.

Directed by Ira Sachs who participated in the Screenwriter's Lab at the Sundance Institution for the film, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It's curious to note that while the film is visually quite flat, the story is what makes it a worthwhile screen.

FORTY SHADES OF BLUE currently plays at 9:30PM at the ROYAL.

Photo courtesy of First Look Pictures.