After months of writing, the first draft of the script for my upcoming movie, Behind The Mirror, is complete. And I couldn’t be happier – and sadder. I now have to stop creating out of thin air and start cutting, stitching and streamlining the story line.
Here’s a couple of words about the story itself. In a nutshell, it centers around the conflict between an outsider, Xavier, and the small town he has moved to, Rome, NY, which doesn’t seem to have any time or space for him, at least not as he stands. The people there want him to change, to become one of them, to think and act like them.
But Xavier is a free-spirited man and refuses to conform. He carves his own path and speaks his mind, which creates tension and animosity.
His wife, Sandra, who’s originally from Rome, and whose idea it was to move back there from the big city, tries to ease the transition by doing whatever she can to get him excited about anything that will ease his mind. She accommodates his newfound passion for writing and encourages him to pursue it.
This kickstarts a process of exploration and self-discovery that brings things to a head between the married couple. It also pits Xavier against the entire town.
Since the story is still in development, let me not say any more about it until things are locked down.
For those of you who are familiar with the previous iterations of Behind The Mirror, let me say that this version of the story is different to the story arcs developed in earlier works. It’s also a little darker, delving into issues of substance abuse, psychological abuse and mental health in a tangible and not an academic way. This is no longer an email correspondence with a variety of topics, or an array of allegorical short stories. This is the story of a man in search for meaning, and the lengths to which he’ll go to attain it, and the sacrifices he has to endure because of it, and the pain he causes to those he loves.
A couple of interesting tidbits about the draft. I finished the story last Sunday, just as the final of the Rome ATP final was taking place between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I found that quite funny. Turning on the TV to see the end of the Rome tournament just as I was wrapping up my own Rome story tickled my head.
I also used a few songs to capture the mood of the movie as I was writing it.
Here’s one. It’s called Charming Paranoia (from Arrayan Path’s upcoming album Stigmata), a group from Cyprus with whom I may be collaborating for the movie’s soundtrack.
Stay tuned for more updates …