La Sombra (The Shadow) /
A visual adaptation of poetry
A visual adaptation of poetry
"I am so close you cannot see me, I am outside of you and inside at the same time." — Xavier Villaurrutia
LA SOMBRA turns Villaurrutia’s 1930’s dark poem into a suspenseful short film about a woman haunted by a man who acts as her physical shadow. Moving through bold, theatrical rooms to escape him, she finds him everywhere - standing right behind her, hidden just out of view,
or feeling like he is living inside of her. Taking over her personal space completely, he turns the poem’s message into a claustrophobic psychological confrontation.
The soundtrack helps build intensity as the poem is read out loud. The sound drives the tension in the room, pushing the characters back and forth between total isolation and uncomfortable closeness.
LA SOMBRA turns Villaurrutia’s 1930’s dark poem into a suspenseful short film about a woman haunted by a man who acts as her physical shadow. Moving through bold, theatrical rooms to escape him, she finds him everywhere - standing right behind her, hidden just out of view,
or feeling like he is living inside of her. Taking over her personal space completely, he turns the poem’s message into a claustrophobic psychological confrontation.
The soundtrack helps build intensity as the poem is read out loud. The sound drives the tension in the room, pushing the characters back and forth between total isolation and uncomfortable closeness.
Created entirely using generative AI tools in one platform, including direct artwork editing, the film's look features mid-century modern rooms, pop art designs, and high fashion outfits. The AI tools build bright, eye catching sets where bold colors - tomato reds, deep blacks, rich blues, and sunny yellows — stand out to shape a dark, mysterious, and suspenseful mood across every scene.
Mood board / Almodovarian aesthetic / saturated color palette
Casting / Spanish looking male and female
Final stills / post editing / pre motion
Scenes list / 48 seconds / 8 shots
Scene 1, frame by frame
Iterative and Generative Workflow Preview
Source Material
The narrative spine of the film is constructed directly from Nocturno en que habla la muerte (Nocturne in Which Death Speaks), a famous poem by Mexican writer Xavier Villaurrutia from his 1938 collection Nostalgia de la muerte. In the poem, Death is written as an active character who follows the speaker everywhere, talking directly to him like a shadow you can't shake off.
Instead of showing Death as a scary monster or a far-away skeleton, Villaurrutia writes it as something right next to you—living inside your own skin and breath, always just out of sight.
Instead of showing Death as a scary monster or a far-away skeleton, Villaurrutia writes it as something right next to you—living inside your own skin and breath, always just out of sight.
La Sombre (es)
Te he seguido como la sombra
que no es posible dejar así nomás en casa...
Y es inútil que vuelvas la cabeza en mi busca:
estoy tan cerca que no puedes verme,
estoy fuera de ti
y a un tiempo dentro.
Te he seguido como la sombra
que no es posible dejar así nomás en casa...
Y es inútil que vuelvas la cabeza en mi busca:
estoy tan cerca que no puedes verme,
estoy fuera de ti
y a un tiempo dentro.
The Shadow (eng)
I have followed you like the shadow
that you cannot simply leave behind at home...
And it is useless for you to turn your head looking for me:
I am so close you cannot see me,
I am outside of you
and inside at the same time.
I have followed you like the shadow
that you cannot simply leave behind at home...
And it is useless for you to turn your head looking for me:
I am so close you cannot see me,
I am outside of you
and inside at the same time.
Reflection /
End to End AI Filmmaking
End to End AI Filmmaking
Creating La Sombra demonstrated how a single platform can handle a complete cinematic pipeline—from early inspiration to final export. The entire workflow took place in one environment: exploring concepts and style directions, casting characters, generating consistent stills to build full scenes, scoring the soundtrack, and completing the final video edits.
The main focus was maintaining strict visual continuity and making sure the audio landed precisely on the right cues throughout the sequence. By iteratively refining seed parameters and art direction, the lead figures remained recognizable across shifting camera angles, mid-century sets, and intense color palettes. Developing the visual narrative, spoken-word soundtrack, and pacing in the same space eliminated context-switching, allowing for precise control over the film's dark, suspenseful mood from start to finish
The main focus was maintaining strict visual continuity and making sure the audio landed precisely on the right cues throughout the sequence. By iteratively refining seed parameters and art direction, the lead figures remained recognizable across shifting camera angles, mid-century sets, and intense color palettes. Developing the visual narrative, spoken-word soundtrack, and pacing in the same space eliminated context-switching, allowing for precise control over the film's dark, suspenseful mood from start to finish