Forty Shades of Blue

Forty Shades of Blue
Directed byIra Sachs
Written byIra Sachs
Michael Rohatyn
Produced byMary Bing
Margot Bridger
Jawal Nga
Ira Sachs
StarringRip Torn
Dina Korzun
Darren E. Burrows
Distributed byFirst Look Studios
Release dates
  • January 21, 2005 (2005-01-21) (Sundance)
  • September 28, 2005 (2005-09-28) (US)
  • June 30, 2006 (2006-06-30) (UK)
Running time
108 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Box office$172,569[1]

Forty Shades of Blue is a 2005 independent drama film directed by Ira Sachs. Starring Rip Torn, Dina Korzun, and Darren R. Burrows, the film follows a young Russian woman living in Memphis with an aging music producer who comes to question her life when his adult son comes to visit.

Sachs, who co-wrote the script with musician Michael Rohatyn, was inspired by the works of Ken Loach, including Kes, Family Life, and Looks and Smiles, as well as Satyajit Ray's Charulata.[2] A native of Memphis, Sachs based the character of Alan on his father.[3][4] The film was workshopped at the Sundance Institute's Writers and Filmmakers Lab and premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. It received a limited theatrical release on September 28, 2005.

  1. ^ "Forty Shades of Blue". Box Office Mojo.
  2. ^ Ryan, Mike S. (March 6, 2009). ""THE BLUEPRINT" – Ira Sachs And Mike Ryan On FORTY SHADES OF BLUE". Hammer to Nail.
  3. ^ Scott, A.O. (September 28, 2005). "A Triangle Smolders in Memphis". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Stein, Ruthe (October 14, 2005). "Oedipal love in Memphis". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 15, 2023.