Light and Shadows

In this dark comedy, Ezra Gentile, a mid-40s sales manager, goes to work for a tight-fisted, selfish owner, Howard Goodson, to manage Thoroughgood Studios, a faltering chain of family-owned Milwaukee wedding photography studios. Goodson wants to expand the chain, putting Gentile under enormous pressure to increase sales. And yet, the foundation of the wedding business -- the dream of everlasting love -- is to Ezra a sham. A messy divorce has left him cynical and fearful about romance.

Ezra's efforts to train the existing sales force are generally rejected. This often results in hilarious situations, like the outraged mother of the bride who accuses the studio of "fartography," because their "work stinks!" Ezra discovers he has joined the photo studio from hell.

Ezra's personal life is in shambles, and his divorce has left him with large debts. He has long given up on his own dreams of love. Ezra owes money to his ex-wife. During a visit to help her with a home repair, she falls, hits her head, and lapses into a coma, blamed on Ezra's clumsy efforts to revive her. The police suspect he tried to kill her to save on alimony, and Ezra is dogged by an annoyingly inquisitive detective.

Paradoxically, Ezra's ongoing spiritual discussions with a co-worker gives him a new perspective on his ex's coma. He also has a series of strange, visionary dreams while asleep. Ezra slowly re-examines his relationships and questions the direction of his life.

When a rogue financier with reputed gangland ties in Vegas, tries to take over the studio, Ezra Gentile discovers personal resources he was not aware he possessed. Finally seizing control of his own dreams and fears, Ezra regains the mysterious woman he thought had been lost to him forever.