2023 OSCARS: Women Talking (2022) - Unexpected Arrival --> An Unusual Inter-generational Sense of Urgency

[Quick Summary: After women of a insular religious colony have been secretly drugged and raped by men in their colony, they must decide whether to stay or go.]

The protagonists here have the odds stacked against them, and it's great for tension.

They cannot read, write, or own anything.  They do not even know where they live on a map.  They've been secretly drugged and raped for the last two years.

But the film is essentially the group weighing their options the barn.  How would the writer would keep the tension up in Act 2? 

First, there is a ticking clock.  The men are in the city to post bail for the suspects and will only be gone a couple of days. The script moves along at a certain rhythm.

Then the rhythm is interrupted and the clock is sped up by the unexpected return of one man, Klaas. This immediately ups the tension and urgency for all.

However, I was particularly impressed by how this one arrival caused three different reactions in the women from his family (see notes below).

In the scene below:
- There has been a moment of laughter in the previous scene.
- Greta is the mother of Mariche. Mariche is married to Klaas.  Their daughter is Autje.
- Greta's beloved horses are Ruth and Cheryl.
- Notice the emotional effect of Klaas' unexpected return on an inter-generational level:  He is coming back to take his mother-in-law's horses.  His wife is afraid of him personally. His daughter must be too, to side with her mom.

INT. HAYLOFT - LATE AFTERNOON

...When it dies down, Autje, looks around at all of the women, her face serious.

AUTJE: Excuse me. Excuse me. The Census taker just told us that one of our men is planning to return late tonight. He is coming to get some old horses to auction.

GRETA: Ruth and Cheryl!

NEITJE: They need more bail money for the attackers.

Greta lifts her arms into the air. She stumbles back to her seat. Agata sharpens her gaze. They all clamber hastily back to their seats for the meeting. Autje climbs back up into the hayloft and takes her seat as well.

MARICHE: Tonight?

Autje nods.

MARICHE (CONT'D): Which man?

AUTJE: Father.

NEITJE: Your Klaas.

Mariche makes the smallest of small sounds.

MARICHE (quietly, trying to absorb this): Oh.

AGATA: So. Time is of the essence. Everyone get back to your seats.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I've seen an unexpected arrival cause an added sense of urgency before, but not three different reactions in one family like the scene above.

Women Talking (2022)(4/12/21 production draft)
by Sarah Polley
Based upon the book by Miriam Toews

2023 OSCARS: Living (2022) - What To Do If Your Character is SUPPOSED to Be Boring

[Quick Summary: In 1950s England, a dedicated government worker with a grim medical prognosis struggles how to spend his remaining time.]

I am terrified of boring the reader with my characters.

But what if the character is SUPPOSED to be boring? Then what?

In this script, Williams is a widower and government worker who leads a numb life. His days are the same, pushing paper around all day. 

What did the writer do in this script? He used supporting characters well.

First, the writer made Williams' boring-ness interesting to the others. 

ex.  The script opens with fellow co-workers on a morning commute watching the train platform for Williams, who always stands at the right spot to greet them daily.

Second, even when things start to change for Williams, the writer did not stop the story for Williams' problem.  Life kept on going.  This is good flow.

This grounds the story and also gives the reader something to measure Williams' arc to.

The scene below is the first seed of change.  Note:
- Williams has sent Peter (the newest employee) on a fruitless errand.
- Williams never leaves work early, so his announcement is shocking.
- Notice that other people have agendas (see italics below).
- Williams does not think his appointment will change him. He will be back to carry on, as evidenced by him putting the folder in the stack.

INT. COUNTY HALL NORTH BLOCK - OUTER OFFICE - DAY

Peter, demoralised, now alone, clutching folder, walks past the rows of desks toward the door to the Public Works Department.  [Peter really cares about the ladies that he could not help in the previous scene.  Everyone but him knows it was a fools' errand.]

Sing comes INTO SHOT, opens door for him.

INT. OFFICE - TABLE - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Peter arrives at the table, folder in hand. He hovers, unsure.

Margaret points to the folder, points at Williams - still head down, working.

Peter goes over, stands beside Williams. [Williams pays no attention to those around him.]

Eventually Williams lays down his pen, looks up.

WILLIAMS (ignoring Peter): Forgive me everyone. Unfortunately I shall be obligated to leave early this afternoon. At twenty past three.

An unprecedented occurrence. Surprise around the table.

WILLIAMS (CONT'D): Perhaps Mr. Middleton. You'd be so good as to deputise in my absence.

MIDDLETON: Of course, Mr. Williams. I'll see everything stays ship shape.  [Middleton is happy to be promoted.]

Hart is annoyed by this.  [Hart wanted that promotion.]

It's unclear if Williams intends to say something else.

An awkward silence. Then Williams notices Peter standing beside him with the folder.

WILLIAMS: Mr. Wakeling. What may I do for you?

PETER: The ladies' petition, sir. Um. Mr. Harvey at Cleansing insists this is for us after all.

Williams takes the folder from Peter, thrusts it midway into one of his two towers.

WILLIAMS: Mr. Harvey is quite wrong. But we can keep it here. No harm.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Use supporting characters' reactions, which can help compare/contrast with the protagonist's boring-ness as well as when change occurs.

Living (2022)
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Based on the original screenplay "IKIRU" by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni

2023 OSCARS: Glass Onion (2022) - Commenting on Society/Culture/Politics Through Character Attitude

[Quick Summary: Detective Benoit Blanc receives an invitation to millionaire's party in Greece, and discovers a web of lies leading to a death.]

On a mystery level, I like this second Benoit Blanc script less than the previous one.

On a character level, however, this one seems to have bolder characters, with more nuanced, distinct  attitudes.* 

In the scene below, we meet a spoiled Birdie. How do we know she's privileged and spoiled?  Notice her attitude toward people and her surroundings:

INT. APARTMENT

...Finally we land on ex-model, magazine editor and fashion designer BIRDIE JAY (40s.) A few men are, at any given moment, always paying attention to her, and she looks both fabulous and sick of life.

BIRDIE: I'm so bored. Peg! Where's Peg? Peggggggg!

Birdie's long suffering assistant PEG (late 20s) shuffles in the door holding a familiar CARDBOARD BOX, which she deposits on the coffee table.

PEG: I'm here. (spots off-screen) Please stop fire spinning inside!

            BIRDIE:                                             PEG
Pegggg I'm so bored. give me
my phone just a little just
a little phone time just a                            No phone.
tiny little phone time

MODEL: Why can't she have her phone?

DANCER: Because she's mean.

Birdie rolls her eyes and sarcastically does air quotes:

BIRDIE: No. It's cause she's afraaaaid. I'll tweeeeet. AN ethnic slurrrr. Agaaaaain.

PEG: You agreed, no phone for the rest of the media cycle.

BIRDIE: I didn't even know that word referred to Jewish people, I though it was just a generic term for "cheap."

Peg blinks at her.

PEG: "Jewy??"

BIRDIE: Everything's so woke these days it's out of control.

VAMPIRE IN TUXEDO: Yes.

Peg pulls away cardboard, revealing the WOOD BOX.

BIRDIE: I'm sorry I say it like I see it, no filter, if people can't handle that it's their problem what's this?

PEG: A guy dropped it off - 

Birdie picks up the card and seeing who it's from lights up:

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: It's not so much the situation (Birdie + phone) but the character's attitude (no thought to how she handles people; sulking when confronted).

Glass Onion (2022)
by Rian Johnson

* I applaud the writer/director Rian Johnson for trying to do new things in the genre.

He has said in interviews that he realized that mystery genre can do much more than he thought, ex. comment on society, politics, culture, etc.

2023 OSCARS: All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - Three Themes (Betrayal, Futility of War, Historical Context) in 1st 10 Pages

[Quick Summary: A young German soldier faces the reality and horrors of WWI.]

I've never read this book, nor seen the films, so I was interested to hear (here):

1) This book, published in 1929, was only adapted twice for the screen: a movie (1930) and tv movie (1979). 

2) It took the writers 16 years to get this to the screen!

3) The writers identified three themes they wanted to bring out: betrayal, futility of war, historical context. 

I liked how the writers get me into this story in the first ten pages, and lands me at p. 10 with all the themes at play.  How did they do it?

First, we're following Heinich Gerber through exploding battle field and dies before opening credits.

Then we're following our protagonist Paul who is recruited at school, then goes through enlisting.  

Then this scene below appears (p. 10) as the culmination of p. 1-9:

INT. SCHOOL/AUDITORIUM - DAY

...Paul gapes at him, dumbstruck. The officer shrugs, hands him a uniform off the pile and notes the size in a list.

ARMY RECRUITER (CONT'D): Here. Your father can be proud of you.

PAUL: Yes, he can.

ARMY RECRUITER: Are you okay?

PAUL: Mmhm. I just wanna get going.

Paul takes his uniform and is just leaving, when he sees the name tag sewn into the collar.

He quickly returns to the desk, where the recruiter is already busy with the next RECRUIT.

PAUL (CONT'D): Excuse me, Sir, this uniform already belongs to someone. 

The officer takes the uniform jacket from Paul and tears off the name tag. Then he hands it back. [Historical context.  There is an entire infrastructure behind recycling supplies in warfare.]

ARMY RECRUITER: Didn't fit him right. Happens all the time. [Betrayal. This is a lie.]

PAUL: Thank you, Sir.

Paul heads off, relieved. The name tag remains behind on the floor: HEINRICH GERBER.  [Futility of war.  He's repeating the cycle Heinrich just went through.]

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: If you can identify the themes of the book that you want, look for symbols that will help amplify it, ex. the jacket here.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
by Ian Stokell, Lesley Paterson, Edward Berger
Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque