A Destiny of Souls

Author(s): James Somerton
Location: Canada

"A Density of Souls"

Directed By Marc ForsterWritten By Christopher Rice

Main Cast
Topher Grace as Stephen Conlin
Ben MacKenzie as Greg Darby
Penn Badgely as Brandon Charbonet
Hilarie Burton as Meredith Ducote
James Lafferty as Jeff Hugh
Connie Britton as Monica Conlin
Dana Nicholson as Trish Ducote

Tagline: "Friends Forever"

Synopsis: In the fall of 1994, four best friends (Stephen, Greg, Brandon, and Meredith) entered Cannon High School in the city of New Orleans. And then it all happened.PART ONE:Brandon Charbonet is now twenty-seven years old. He kisses his girlfriend goodbye as he heads out for a night with the guys. By midnight, he'll be dead. Shot himself in the throat. Meredith Ducote sits in her room at Harvest Pines Rehabilitation Center. She's been sitting here for five weeks, routinely getting up twice a day to go to meetings about her alcoholism. She'll get to leave soon though. Her mother is coming to pick her up.Stephen Conlin returns home after a night out with his boyfriend Jeff. Stephen checks in on his mother before retreating to his room and sitting at his computer. He's almost finished his third novel and his fans are clamoring for me. He'll have it finished by the end of the night, he's sure. Nobody has seen Greg Darby in three years.PART TWO:Greg and Brandon stand by their lockers, laughing with the rest of the football team about the embarrassment last night at that play. How could someone they used to hang out with be such a fag? Meredith joins them and starts in on the conversation.Meanwhile, Stephen Conlin leaves the drama building after an hour of being praised by everyone involved in last night's play for his magnificent performance. On his way home, he bumps into the start quarterback, Jeff Hugh, who offers him a ride home. Stephen politely declines and walks home.That night at the big game, Greg is taken off the field for fighting with one of his own team mates, leaving Jeff knocked out near the 30 yard line. Meredith is in a state of shock. Brandon doesn't think Greg did anything wrong. What the hell was Jeff doing defending that faggot Stephen anyway? And then something happened that would change everyone's life forever.PART THREE:Stephen walks out of a bookstore as rain starts falling on his head. Earlier that day he had attended the funeral of a one time friend. Meredith had also been there. She didn't look well. He thought he had seen Greg there but that couldn't have been. No one has seen Greg in years. Greg Darby stands atop the bell tower at Cannon High School. A sniper rifle rests on the edge, only balanced by his hand. He is waiting for him. Waiting for Stephen. When he sees the man who ruined his life and ended Brandon, he'll get his revenge. The rain is coming down so hard now. The wind has picked up. The sky is black. Everything looks like the world is ending. Stephen's car has broken down and he's waiting for Jeff to come pick up. He's waiting just outside Cannon High School.

What the Press would say:
"A Density of Souls" is a showcase for young talent in strong rolls that stick with you even after leaving the cinema. Written by Christopher Rice, and adapted from his novel, this is a sprawling tale of young lives torn to shreds by an event we are never privy to seeing or knowing about. It's a complex and sordid story told in flashbacks and flash-forwards, opening with a suicide and ending with a murder. This film tells us the story of Greg, Brandon, Meredith, and Stephen; four best friends torn apart in high school. Although three of them stick together for the most part, Stephen is left completely alone in high school, the only attention paid to him by hateful students. Topher Grace is sixteen again in these scenes and you completely believe it. Along with his other acting companions, Grace switches flawlessly between his high school self and his adult self. Playing his mother is Connie Britton who dishes out a fantastic performance as Stephen's accepting, but worried, mother. When the car she buys him as a teenager is vandalized with homophobic statements, she makes sure that the car is taken away to be fixed before Stephen can see. She is always trying to protect him but, in the end, is forced to watch helplessly as her son fights for his life. The other standout performance in the film is from Ben MacKenzie, who gives a highly disturbing performance as Greg Darby, a high school football star who's career is cut short because of a violent temper that eventually leads him to the top of a bell tower with a sniper rifle. His eyes tell us so much and yet so little. We never are allowed to see why he hates Stephen so much, although he and Brandon both say, on several occasions, that their hatred is warranted. New Orleans gives a backdrop to the story that adds to the dark atmosphere. With Lafayette Cemetery always a reminder of death in the background, we're never allowed to forget the first disturbing scene in the movie when we see Brandon put a gun to head and let loose. "A Density of Souls" is dark, brooding, and unforgiving. It's a story of hate, jealousy, and secrets. A fantastic creation that delves deep into the darkness of the human soul and sees how many layers there really are. How one character can redeem themselves in the end, and how one will never be able to forgive himself.

Possible Nominations
Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actor - Topher Grace
Best Supporting Actress - Connie Britton