Think Big Studios released its new 35-minute-long fan fiction film Harley Quinn – Blazing Shadows on YouTube. Produced and directed by Thomas Bernecker, who also financed the project, the film represents the work of a team of movie business professionals who collaborated on its creation in their free time over a two-year period. The film tells a new chapter in the story of Harley Quinn, a character who was made famous as a sidekick of The Joker in the Batman comics and movies.
“We have always seen Harley as so much more than just a supporting character,” Bernecker explained. “Harley Quinn has the full potential to exist as an independent character. My wish, as a fan of Harley Quinn, was that there should be a film in which Harley plays the leading role and that we should be able to experience her character in all its facets.” The 2020 film Birds of Prey proved that Harley works very well without The Joker and Batman.
In this spirit, the filmmakers deliberately chose the classic comic version of Harley, where she wears her jester suit, but without the jester’s cap. Bernecker added, “In our opinion, this version of Harley is still the most popular original—the one we fell in love with in the comics and Batman.” Formally named Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, the Harley Quinn character previously appeared in Batman, the Animated Series and Suicide Squad.
Harley Quinn – Blazing Shadows tells the story of Harley’s redemption from The Joker. Taking place about five years after her breakup from The Joker, it reveals that Harley has moved back to her hometown Brooklyn, where she grew up, and now lives in a relationship with her girlfriend, Poison Ivy. However, after all these years in her now quite “middle-class life,” she slowly starts to long for the good old days, when she robbed banks and was guided by great feelings for The Joker and had many great adventures.
As these feelings of doubts, pain and fear swirl around Harley, the audience experiences the awakening of Kitsune, the master of fire and fear. What Harley doesn’t know is that Kitsune draws his existence and power from her self-doubt. He digs deeper and deeper into Harley’s psyche until he finally meets her greatest fear: The Joker himself. For Harley, this turns into a fight against the dangerous love of The Joker. The film culminates with Harley having to decide a direction for her life. Will she remain in her new, self-determined life together with Poison Ivy or her old ego under the seductive leadership of The Joker?
As a fan movie based on characters owned by Warner Bros. and DC Comics, Harley Quinn – Blazing Shadows cannot engage in any commercial activities of it own. “We want to respect the copyrights and make no profit from the creative and marketing power of the creators,” said Bernecker. “It is rather an appreciation for the creators and the lovingly designed characters and worlds around Harley Quinn, Joker, Batman and Gotham.”
Bernecker financed the complete production out of funds he earned from commercial work as a director and filmmaker for large companies. Approximately 80 filmmakers from various countries, including Germany, France, Austria, England, USA, Vietnam and India, participated in the film. The film was shot entirely in Berlin during eight days of shooting in December, 2019. The location for the “Arkham Asylum,” which comes from the Batman Comics, was a former Stasi prison in Berlin.
The 35-minute film is of cinema quality, ideally to be watched on a big screen. For instance, it features sound that was mixed in a professional sound studio for cinema screenings, ready even for 7.1 surround sound.
For more information, visit https://thinkbigstudios.film/blazing-shadows/
