Lear’s Shadow is an unflinching new independent film that puts audiences in the middle of a story of friendship and loss. The story begins in the days following an accident, as two good friends from a modern-day theater company cope with a shared loss, and repair their troubled relationship. As the two friends navigate their grief and friendship, they turn their frustration with each other into an argument about Shakespeare’s King Lear, acting out scenes to prove their points. Lear’s Shadow is at its heart a story that shows that the solution to many of life’s problems can be found in friendship and art. The film’s three stars, David Blue (“Eli Wallace” from Stargate: Universe, and “Cliff St. Paul” from Ugly Betty), Fred Cross (Arrested Development, The Last Ship, The Office), and newcomer Katie Peabody quickly pivot between Shakespeare’s original language and modern colloquial, written by the film’s director, Brian Elerding. Lear’s Shadow features plenty of Shakespeare, but is accessible to both the Shakespeare fan and skeptic.