User reviews

It's 1972 Arkansas. Venus (Chelsea Ricketts) faces discrimination when auditioning for Romeo and Juliet. A black boy named William Ward is completely taken with her. Mr. Mountain (Graham Greene) is her father and they are part of the Lightning Clan. Separately, an old man (Danny Glover) struggles after a lost.

The starting racism is a little over the top but it's at least memorable. The problem may be that she is not so outrageously talented that she deserves a Tony right on the spot. A montage of inferior auditions would help a lot for the comparison. The young romance is relatively bland. The meet cute isn't much although the two young leads are charming enough. Quite frankly, they're more good looking than powerful. Graham Greene is way too stoic which limits his emotional range. There is a magicalism which isn't that well explained. The dividing between the past and present day doesn't add much of anything. Glover feels stranded on his own island and could have played William's father giving it more power. It should stay mostly as a period piece with the two young leads and two powerful veteran actors as their dads.

Or as they call it in Germany: A timeless love story. It could also be called: Love from another place (dimension) or anything similar that will tell you that this is very sown into the native American culture and into believes. Whether that strikes you as odd or as unbelievable will determine how much you like this.

You have to suspend disbelief at least a little bit and Danny Glover sells it as good as he can. Sometimes even he struggles with some of the dialog or display of emotion. But if you buy completely into it and its mythical treating of certain things you won't mind that. I'm just here to remind you, that this might go sideways really fast if at any point you start doubting ... Better believe it ... pun very much intended

Awful, painful acting with a pathetic storyline. Watched this during a storm on a cruise and would have rather sat in the storm.

This movie is very romantic and beautifully filmed. Adriana Mather is stunning as Betty. I wish we could see her in an expanded role. James Bird is an exceptional screen writer. Norry Niven did an excellent job with the directing and production. This is also true of Anya Remizova. Danny Glover is talented, as usual. Tantoo Cardinal is beautiful. Overall, this is a heart-wrenching love story that has it all. It exposes the state of race relations in this country without actually focusing too strongly on this. It exposes the cultural 'myth' of meritocracy. It is up-lifting and leaves the viewer with hope for the future. This movie compares to "The Notebook" in terms of its general mood. The inclusion of Shakespeare lends an air of sophistication to the film.

FROM ABOVE is a wonderful love story. Danny Glover is fantastic as his character lovingly looks back on his life with his love, Venus. Norry Niven does a great job directing and the production quality is excellent. This film also addresses the challenges of an interracial couple and shows how love can overcome those challenges. This is a great film that people of all ages are sure to enjoy! I would recommend for families as well. It is truly a love story that spans across generations. FROM ABOVE is a film that teens and adolescents will find interesting, and that parents will find appropriate. I highly recommend it for everyone.

As one would expect from Director Norry Niven, this film is visually stunning. Each scene composed and shot for magnificent visual effect. Watch the film carefully and you will see lensing and coloring that put you in different Cinematic time frames appropriate for each scene. But the love story that is threaded through the film strikes a variety of emotional chords that make you want to laugh, cry, scream out triumphantly or just contemplate the moment. Danny Glover is amazing, as always, with his role as the romantic lead, looking back on a life filled with the cherished memories and hard realities of true love between an interracial couple. Veteran Graham Greene also turns in an amazing performance as does most everyone in this delicate and complex film. It is a heart warming story, perfect for those times when you need a good soul-cleansing cinematic experience.

"From Above" is a lovely story with Danny Glover in a very moving role. The movie goes back and forth between the present and the past, focusing on a particular family's background and culture while exploring universal themes. There is humor and witty dialogue, with a wonderful performance by Graham Greene as a wise mentor. The story is engaging -- never boring. I wanted to keep seeing what would unfold.

I saw this film in a theater and, at the end, there were very few dry eyes. The director really knows how to pack a truthful emotional punch.

The young actors, although unknown to me, were wonderful. The scenery and authentic costumes were amazing.

This is a film that should be seen. It has won many festival awards, which is a testament to its quality and power.

This is a brilliant love story from the incredible Director, Norry Niven. Norry and team picked a perfect cast and this storyline and the acting are first rate.

This is a love story told in a flash back style going back over 50 years. At times it is full of joy, love and at times very sad. This one had me weeping throughout the movie.

If all movies were this interesting with such wonderful content and such amazing directing, the film world would be a much more enjoyable place.

This is one of those movies the whole family will enjoy so don't wait, go see this now!

Being a big fan of Director Norry Nivens and his commercial work, I couldn't wait to see his first feature film, From Above. I found myself being drawn into this romantic drama that has a unique element of scifi woven into the story. It's hard to place a genre label on this movie, because it has so many elements in it that make it a great story. The wonderful thing about this film, is that it speaks about how love can transcend race, culture, and even time. This movie plays with time and jumps back and forth between two stories. Two stories separated by time and culture but woven together by love. The film also has a good emotional twist that is sure to surprise you. The cinematography in this film is beautiful, especially love the NY city scenes. Highly recommend seeing the film.

I fell in love with "Chasing Shakespeare" more than once during the 2013 Big Island Film Festival at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai'i. Director Norry Niven flew in from Cannes where he'd just won an AFI Award, and added to it BIFF's Best Feature and Audience Choice.

It's an interracial love story of Venus and William, a Native American woman of the lightning clan and an African American man destined to run his father's farm. But to stop there would be a disservice.

The film tells of many kinds of love - love of family, of tradition and culture, of Shakespeare and horses and laughter, as well as romantic love between the two. It crosses boundaries of time and race, even spirit.

At times it speaks in symbols we call "ho'ailona" in Hawai'i - natural phenomenon that communicate to us in very special moments - a sudden gust of wind, a butterfly that lands on your hand. Venus' affinity with the lightning, which charges important points through the story, is a great example.

One night after an outdoor screening of CS, I was driving home to a breathtaking lightning display over the mountain. I had to email Norry right away, and he said something to the effect, that it happens pretty often. I would love to know if other viewers experience something similar!