TODAY'S NUGGET: A Simple Favor (2018) - How Mood Can Extend from Character

[Quick Summary: After cool mom Emily asks blogger mom Stephanie to pick up her son after school, Emily goes missing and Stephanie is drawn into a nightmare.]

I wasn't wild about this story, but the script is well written and clearly conveys what the filmmakers set out to do.

One of the things that impressed me was how it conveyed a mood of suspense.

Critic Sheila O'Malley explained it much more eloquently:

It's insightful about the head games women can play with each other, but it doesn't burden itself with trying to be "meaningful." ....Mood-setting is one of the most important aspects of film-making, and so many films fail to establish the proper mood from the jump. "A Simple Favor,"... knows exactly what it needs to do to establish the mood for all that will follow.

The script does a good job of setting up that not-so-cool mom Stephanie is a people pleaser.  She is anxious and vulnerable, and so are we, the audience.

In the scene below:
- Parents are discussing Easter egg hunt duties.
- Stephanie is constantly on the defense, wanting approval.  This will be the perfect situation for cool mom Emily to take advantage of.
- Note how the mood extends from the character, i.e., Stephanie's internal anxieties influence her behavior with others.

INT. WARFIELD ELEMENTARY - KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM - LATER

...Stephanie's in a quandry. She wonders whether to erase her name from DECORATIONS or SNACKS. Always the problem-solver, Stephanie tries to come up with an equitable solution:

STEPHANIE: What if I just erase myself from decorations and leave it for Emily? Then if she can't make it, I'll still bring my balloons and helium tank.

STACY: Please tell me you don't actually own  a helium tank.

It just slipped out of Stacy - and she regrets it. Stephanie is a bit hurt by the comment but tries to hide it.

STEPHANIE: I think lots of people own helium tanks, Stacy. If they don't, they should. Kids love balloons, especially floaty ones.

MRS. KERRY (trying to save Stephanie): It's a perfect plan, Stephanie. We'll leave decorations open for Emily.

Stephanie looks proud, then notices the other parents staring at her like she's an alien. She deflates a bit.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Well before the antagonist arrived, I was surprised at how anxious this character made me feel.  That's setting a good mood!

A Simple Favor (2018)(7/10/17 draft, rev. by Paul Feig)
by Jessica Sharzer
Based on the novel, A Simple Favor, by Darcey Bell