2026 OSCARS: Sentimental Value (2025) - When a Location is Not Just a Metaphor, But a Participant/Witness

[Quick Summary: In the family home, a director and his two adult daughters try to bridge years of misunderstandings and absences.]

This is a film about family memories and how they get in the way of present relationships.   Here's a little background:

- The father, Gustav, is a film director, who hasn't made a film in 15 yrs.  
- Gustav left his wife when his daughters, Nora and Agnes, were young.
- The wife remained in the family home with the two daughters.  
- The wife was a psychologist and has recently died.  
- The daughters have returned to deal with her estate and the house. 
- Gustav also returns, with a role for his daughter Nora to act in.  
- He wants to shoot his film in the family house.

One of the things that impressed me in the script is how the writers indicated that this house will be important to this family's story.

It is used a metaphor, but also used literally as the structure in which the family has to wrestle with memories.  The house is a silent participant/witness to their lives.

In this early scene in the script (below), the writers use a montage of rapid images to establish how often the house is a participant in the family's daily life:

INT. FAMILY HOUSE (VARIOUS TIMES) - DAY

MONTAGE of rapid images of the house being used and abused as the voice continues:

NARRATOR: She remembered wondering if the house preferred to be light and empty or full and heavy...

High heels scrape the parquet of floor at a party (1965).

An eager dog's claws scratch the wooden floor in front of the door (1980).

NARRATOR (CONT'D): ...if it liked being trampled on, or that people crashed into its walls, that eager dog claws scratched the floorboards.

A chair scraping against the kitchen floor (1998).

Children's dirty fingers stick to the railing on the stairs (1994).

A wine glass falls to the floor and shatters (1965).

A milk glass topples over (1955).

A laptop falls corner-first, creating a deep gouge in the wooden floor (2000).

NARRATOR (CONT'D): ...and she thought yes, it liked being full, and that the marks were just scrapes like you get playing tag or soccer.

Gustav (35) is moving his hands behind the two small windows over the kitchen door. The shadowplay makes it seem to Nora (3) that they are two eyes looking toward her. (1990s). 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I'd never seen a house used as participant/witness/location/framework of the story like this. The memories make a house a home.

Sentimental Value (2025)(8/18/24 draft) 
by Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier

TODAY'S NUGGET: Married to the Mob (1988) - How to Not Lose the Reader, Despite Various POV

[Quick Summary: After her mobster husband is murdered by his boss, Angela is determined to make a new life with her son, but the mob won't leave her alone.]

Q: What sets this script apart for you?  
A: It captures different points of view, but never loses focus on the protagonist.

Q: How does it do it?  Especially maintaining such clarity? 
A: I think it's the unity of the subject matter.  There's a variety of points of view, but they're all about the same subject, i.e., Angela.

For example, in the scene below:
- Angela is a sweet woman, who was oblivious to the shenanigans of Sal, her dead mobster husband.  Everyone makes assumptions about her. 
- Tony, Sal's best friend, is the head mobster. 
- Tony is married to Connie and is afraid of her.
- Tony killed Sal because Sal was sleeping with Tony's side girlfriend.
- Tony wants to sleep with Angela, and keeps tabs on her, even after she's moved away.
- Tony and his underling Tommy show up at Angela's new apartment.
- Note the multiple points of view (Connie, Ed, Mike, Tommy, Tony). Each segment adds important information, AND they're united by the subject matter, Angela.
- Also note how: a)  the unity of subject matter, plus b) CAPITALIZED location slugs helps the reader easily switch points of view. This is great clarity of writing.

EXT. RIVINGTON STREET - AT THAT MOMENT

IN FRONT OF ANGELA'S BUILDING

Angela, Tony and Tommy come out of the building and pause on the steps. 

TOMMY: Look, Ange, Rose wants to have you out for dinner next week. How's Thursday?

ANGELA: I really don't think...

TOMMY: Or Friday?

ANGELA: Umm...

TOMMY: Or any night that's good for you.

ANGELA: I tell you, Tommy...I'm so busy with the move, getting set up and everything. I don't even know if we're gonna stay here. Why don't I give you a call when I get settled?

TOMMY (disappointed): Sure, I understand. But don't forget, okay? Promise?

ANGELA (squirming): Sure, Tommy.

TOMMY: Take care, Angie. If you need anything...

ANGELA: Thanks, Tommy. So long.

He gives her a big hug and heads for the car.

DOWN THE BLOCK

peering over the steering wheel of the white Cadillac is Tony's worst nightmare -- Connie. She watches with keen interest.

IN FRONT OF ANGELA'S BUILDING

TONY: It was great seeing you, Angela.

Tony takes Angela's hand. She stiffens. He plants a gentle kiss on her hand while looking into her eyes.

IN THE WHITE CADILLAC

Connie watches as Tony kisses Angela's hand. Connie's worst suspicions are confirmed. She's absolutely livid.

FROM A BASEMENT STAIRWELL

Ed video-tapes Tony and Angela. Connie's white Cadillac zooms past.

IN FRONT OF ANGELA'S BUILDING

Tony gives Angela a meaningful look.

TONY (in Italian): Ci vediamo, cara.

Tony gets into the car and Tommy drives off. Angela is emotionally exhausted.

ANGELA (moans): Oh, God.

AT THE FIFTH FLOOR WINDOW

Mike has seen Tony's farewell. Mike shakes his head ruefully as he watches Angela walk down the street. He moves away from the window.

AT THE CORNER

Angela stops in front of the "Hello, Gorgeous!" beauty salon. IN the window there's a mirror with an inscription reading: ARE YOU READY FOR A BRAND NEW YOU? Angela looks at her reflection in the mirror. She can see that the events of the day have caught up to her. She tugs at her Chez Ray hairdo, obviously displeased. Then Angela notices a sign in the window that reads: "Help Wanted." 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: To keep things clearer for the reader, create sign posts in the structure for the audience, ex. unity of subject matter + capitalized locations.

Married to the Mob (1988)(7/14/87 draft)
by Barry Strugatz & Mark R. Burns

TODAY'S NUGGET: Stalag 17 (1953) - How to Avoid "Stagey" Adaptation of a Single Location Play

[Quick Summary: When two American soldiers are killed in an escape from a German POW camp, the soldiers suspect a mole in their barracks.]

Though plays are often set in a single location, it can seem stagey on film, i.e., artificial, claustrophobic, or simply boring for lack of movement.

So how did writer-director Billy Wilder avoid staginess in this famous film? 

1) THE STORY LENDS ITSELF TO CLOSE QUARTERS.  He chose this story which IS all about the claustrophobia and boredom of barracks.

2) CLOSE QUARTERS = PRESSURE. The soldiers need each other to survive.

This becomes even more apparent when they wrongly identifies one of their own as the traitor/mole. Suddenly, the barracks become a pressure cooker.

3) EXPANDING WHEN NECESSARY.  Wilder wisely added several outdoor scenes to give the audience room to breathe from the cramped indoor shots.

4) FRAMING.  I was very impressed by Wilder's use of the screen and space. Nearly every inch of the frame is stuffed with faces or some action.* 

So why didn't it feel stale or too busy?  He made sure there was constant movement: friction and action, people coming and going in and out of doors.

A good example is the scene below.  Note:
- This is an early scene which introduces all the characters. 
- Examine how there's constant movement between and among the characters. It feels less like the limits of a stage, and more like good use of a cramped space.

THE FAR END OF THE BARRACK

This is the strategic spot of the story. In the five tiers of bunks live our major characters.

In the upper bunk lies HOFFY. Little fellow. Plenty of authority. The Barrack Chief. His eyes are wide open. He is studying his wristwatch, the phosphorescent numerals shining in the dark.

In the other bunks lie the others, wide awake, tense:

DUKE, big bellyacher.

TRIZ, six-foot-three, ninety-eight pounds.

PRICE, the barrack Security Chief. Quiet, touch of class.

MANFREDI, no cover, fully dressed.

HARRY, bug-eyed, cocky.

BLONDIE, fair-skinned, boyish.

JOHNSON, fully dressed like Manfredi. Scared.

SEFTON, casual. In his mouth a cold cigar butt.

Hoffy again. Still staring at the wristwatch. This is the moment. He lifts the metal dogtags off his chest and jiggles them. This is the signal.

Duke instantly slides out of the bunk, grabs up his blanket and moves toward the window. A searchlight beam sweeps across. Duke goes flush on the ground. The light passes on. Duke gets up again and starts hanging the blanket over the window.

Now the others go into action, silently, efficiently. Except for Manfredi and Johnson they are all in long winter underwear, some in slacks and socks.

As for Sefton, he is lying in his bunk just watching them.

Blondie hangs a blanket over the window. Triz swings one over the clothesline to shield off their end of the barrack.

Hoffy and Price light a couple of handmade lamps: margarine in tin cans with the wick stuck inside.

Manfredi and Johnson are putting on their leather jackets.

Harry tries to awaken STOSH in the bunk above him. The wooden boards around Stosh's bunk are plastered with Betty Grable cheesecake. Harry pokes him. Stosh does not respond. Harry interlocks his fingers, puts them close to Stosh's ears and cracks them in a SHARP SALVO. Stosh opens his eyes, dazed. Harry pats Stosh's cheek.

HARRY (in a whisper): Get up, Animal! Betty Grable's on the phone!

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: If the play-to-be-adapted is in a single location, why? Pressure? Can it benefit a film? Or is expansion necessary to get that same effect?

Stalag 17 (1953)(shooting draft)
by Billy Wilder and Edwin Blum
Based on a play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski

*My favorite scene is where there are guys planning at a table in the foreground, and "guilty" Sefton in the background.  There are bunks to the left and right, so the men's faces are essentially lined up in a column, filling the screen from top to bottom.

TODAY'S NUGGET: Live and Let Die (1973) - Avoid Monotony in Action: A Clever, Unusual Way to Use a Location

[Quick Summary: Bond tries to stop a heroin ring with the help of psychic tarot card reader.]

As I read through these Bond scripts, I tend to get bored at the monotony of action. 

So when I see something clever or unusual, I pay attention.

One of these is the pre-title sequence below.  It's fresh and unexpected because:
- It takes advantage of its location (New Orleans) and its unusual customs.
- There is a double twist:  The black gentleman and parade seem unconnected, but are actually in cahoots. It seems to be a funeral, but it's a cover.
- I love the use of the coffin as a facade and camouflage.
- It sets up the spy world for the audience: expect the unexpected.
- FYI: Hamilton is a British agent whose disappearance will cause Bond to go to New Orleans.

ANGLE ON FILLET OF SOUL - HAMILTON'S POV

The Fillet of Soul Restaurant. A garishly-coloured building with neon sign in front: CONTINUOUS ENTERTAINMENT. As CAMERA HOLDS, a slow, dearth, jazz blues is heard in b.g.

BACK TO HAMILTON

He looks off towards the increasingly louder sound of the music. CAMERA PANS. From around the corner: A funeral procession, in true New Orleans style. MUSICIANS lead the parade, marching to a slow cadence. Behind them, PALL BEARERS carry a coffin. FRIENDS and RELATIVES string out behind. The group is all black. CAMERA PANS with PARADE as it approaches HAMILTON.

CLOSER ON HAMILTON

He stands, watching. A wizened, little old BLACK GENTLEMAN with white hair suddenly appears next to him, watches the procession solemnly. Tears form in his eyes - he wipes one away, shakes his head sadly. HAMILTON removes his hat.

HAMILTON (nicely): Whose funeral is it?

BLACK GENTLEMAN: Yours....

A switchblade flashes out from the BLACK GENTLEMAN'S hand, plunges into HAMILTON'S side. The parade marches past as HAMILTON falls to the street. PALL BEARERS stop, lower the coffin over HAMILTON'S body, pick it up again. The body has disappeared. The process breaks out into a happy, ragtime tune, struts up the street.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Find a location with unusual customs and/or culture (ex. funeral parade), then put a twist (or two) on even what is typical there (ex. funeral parade as a cover).

Live and Let Die (1973)(10/2/72)
by Tom Mankiewicz

TODAY'S NUGGET: From Russia with Love (1963) - One Way to Intercut Locations While Spouting Exposition

[Quick Summary: Bond goes into Istanbul to retrieve a Russian defector and decoder machine.]

I find it difficult to maintain a story's rhythm and flow while intercutting between locations.  I also loathe exposition dumps.

So I was quite impressed when I read the scene below, which does BOTH SIMULTANEOUSLY.  It is a marvel of craft and hard work. 

NOTE:
- Watch closely as the scene moves from Istanbul ferry boat --> M's office --> Moneypenny's office --> Istanbul office. 
- Notice how the taped conversation is the common thread between scenes.
- Also note how well this scene suits cinema in particular.  The flow of dialogue + different locations = The audience sees the information is being transmitted to M without being told so.

ON THE FERRY BOAT

...Bond glances around then lowers the front flap of the camera case, revealing a tape recorder.

BOND: Talk into this. Answer my questions quietly but clearly. How long is the machine?

TANIA: Like...like a typewriter....

                                                                                         DISSOLVE TO:

A LARGE TAPE RECORDER

The reels are spinning. PULL BACK to reveal:

INT. 'M'S' OFFICE - DAY

The tape recorder is on "M's' desk and he sits listening. Moneypenny sits beside him taking notes. Across the desk sit a NAVAL OFFICER, an ARMY OFFICER and FOUR OTHER SUPERNUMERARIES. 'M' lights and puffs his pipe.

Bond and Tania's voices come through the speakers:

TANIA'S VOICE: There are twenty-four symbols, sixteen code keys. It is inserted in a slot. And the message comes out on a paper roll from another slot on the other side And the mechanism is...oh, James...James...will you make love to me all the time in England?

BOND'S VOICE: Day and night. Go on about the mechanism....

'M' shuts off the machine.

'M': Thank you, Miss Moneypenny. That's all, that's all.

She gets up and exits past the men. We hear a door close, then 'M' re-starts the tape recorder.

BOND'S VOICE: Later, later.

IN MISS MONEYPENNY'S OFFICE - SAME TIME

Miss Moneypenny flips on her intercom and sits down at her desk. She hears the tape playing in the other room.

...BOND'S VOICE: Go on with what you were telling me...No, not that! The mechanism!

'M's' VOICE (over intercom): Miss Moneypenny, as you're no doubt listening, perhaps you'd take this cable. Text reads...merchandise appears genuine...

                                                                                      DISSOLVE TO:

INT. KERIM'S OFFICE - DAY

Bond sits across from Kerim's desk reading the telegram aloud

BOND (overlapping 'M'): '..merchandise appears genuine. Stop. Go ahead with deal. Signed "M".'

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I liked the use of the taped conversation as a common thread to "show, not tell" exposition while intercutting to locations.

From Russia with Love (1963)(undated)
by Richard Maibaum
Adapted by Johanna Harwood
Based on the novel by Ian Fleming

2016 OSCARS: Moonlight (2016) - Explaining A Bit of Local Jargon

[Quick Summary: Told at three ages, this story follows abandoned Little/Black who is struggling in Miami to survive life and figure out his sexuality on his own.]

As I was reading this script, I didn't really pay attention to the setting.

Later, I realized how important Miami is to this particular story and filmmakers.

Without the beach, the ocean, and sunny temperatures, it's a different story.

Miami also has its own lingo, as every metropolitan city does.

I liked how the writer explained a bit of local jargon without dumbing it down or insulting the reader's intelligence.

It is matter of fact and informative (the insult is insulting, but not too insulting):

ex. "Black nodding.

BLACK: Can't picture bein' in Miami with no car, man.

KEVIN: Yeah it's real out here.

BLACK: I bet.

KEVIN: Real slow, real hot, real busted, got me like a duck out here.

Both laughing at that, you can be called a lot of things in Miami and next to snitch, duck is about the worst."

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Don't be afraid to explain a bit of local jargon, if it helps the reader understand context.

Without the explanation, I would've been clueless if "duck" was a good or bad thing.

Moonlight (2016)
by Barry Jenkins
Based on "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue", by Tarell Alvin McCraney

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - Location, Location, Location

[Quick Summary: An innocent mistake pulls a tourist into an international assassination plot.]

As far as Hitchcock scripts go, this wasn't my favorite.

But I would like to mention the ballsy choice of set pieces:

- French Morocco
- Savoy's Hotel
- taxidermist shop
- Royal Albert Hall
- Moroccan embassy

Hitchcock plays with the audience's expectations of these locations.

When unexpected things happen in dignified locations, it's quite a startling contrast.

ex. Jimmy Stewart tracks the kidnapper...to a taxidermy shop (?!)
ex. Jimmy then finds the head conspirator...preaching in a pulpit (?!!)
ex. Doris Day sings at the Moroccan embassy while her son is captive upstairs.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: The locations impacted me more subconsciously than I'd realized.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
by John Michael Hayes