Staying human

With the daily bombardment of news and conversations about the mess the world is in, it’s hard to stay human, simple, caring, honest, without being overwhelmed. It Was Just An Accident, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, is a deeply and personally courageous rebuke of authoritarianism. Earlier the director, Jafar Panahi, who was imprisoned twice for his political views, has with all his humanity and humor, made a gripping thriller that delivers a powerful political statement. THIS is when cinema is at its best.

Someone else worth noting for different reasons, is the Hollywood legend Robert Redford, not only good looking and a good actor with loads of charm, his vision as the founder of Sundance is to be applauded. Redford has made a lasting contribution to Hollywood and film in general with Sundance that has been the spawning ground for countless directors and writers, and many films, that have gone on to be a commercial success. Recently I heard an interview with him where he said,, “People come out of film school and know a whole lot about production and the equipment and all kinds of technical things, and pitching, and all kinds of stuff, but they don’t know how to work with actors, the human part of filmmaking. Without that experience film is an empty shell.” Robert Redford’s humanity and integrity is his legacy and yes his charm, his good looks and the honesty that shines in every character he portrayed.

So for us writers, let’s stop and think about it. All the roles that make actors famous, the connection between the word on the page and the subsequent delivery by the actor, can make or break a film. It can capture the magic of what makes a good script a great story. One thing you often hear is to keep the dialogue crisp and avoid long speeches, but I urge you to be circumspect about norms. One of the most compelling tools by which to make your character human and unforgettable, is an unforgettable monologue. Take for example the two minute monologue in the 2023 film, AiR delivered so powerfully by Matt Damon. The writer Alex Convery sculpted the very essence of his character and the core of the film itself, into this one monologue, a critical moment that gives the film its raison d’être.

Our need for movies, for stories, is what makes us human and as we well know, making a film involves hundreds of people and thousands of choices. Putting it all together, first in the script, and then in the making, allows the audience the experience of of all that creativity. A huge responsibility, which, if the film works, can be so incredibly gratifying.

I leave you with one thought and that is, with giant screen TVs and laptops and phones and our individual worlds increasingly experienced in isolation, it would be our loss to forget the cathartic experience in sharing the ebb and flow of emotions with strangers in a darkened theater. The pain, the tenderness, the thrill, the fear, the humor, an experience that only seeing a film in the theater…can give you.

So keep writing, keep listening, keep dreaming…and keep going to the movies.

See you next time…