True Story

Author(s): AJ Bell

Location: N/A

"True Story"
Written and Directed by AJ Bell

Cinematography by Ellen Kuras

Original Score by Beck Hansen and AJ Bell

Main Cast
AJ Bell - Matt

Hayden Paneteirre - Julia

Paul Dano - Wil

Martha MacIsaac - Kate

Patrick Fugit - Ryan

Ellen Page - Rosanna

Johnny Depp - Mr. Kane

Tagline: "Music. Love. Drugs. Sex. Cars. Life. Death. Who knows? It could be true"

Synopsis: Simple version, the stories and effects of high school students after watching two of their classmates get run over by another one of their friends after school one day, all told from the perspective of their teacher's(Depp) journal. Two characters, Matt and Julia, have been best friends since the third grade, but when their third wheel, Ryan, is one of the kids killed, their story changes from a budding romance, to an inner struggle in both character's mind of whether or not they should be together and find happiness when their best friend is dead. Their decision is to go on a road trip to find themselves and to find out whether they can stand to be together without Ryan. Rosanna must deal with the death of her fiance,Wil, to whom she planned on eloping with because her parents thought she was too good for him. She had planned on not going to college so that she could support their unborn child, of which she didnt tell her parents of yet. She must constantly recieve abuse from her parents, as they tell her, "It's for the better. now she find a real man." All her friends at school won't talk to her as a kind of sympathy, when inside it hurts her more than his death. Now she is about to graduate, has no college ambitions, a fatherless baby on the way, and the world around her isolates her because she is the girl whose soulmate was killed right before her eyes. Kate had everything lined up for her. Great grades, valedictorian of her class, on her way to Harvard. then one day, after school, she swerved her car out of the way of a bus pulling out of the pickup area and in a split second later her car slams into two boys crossing the street. Once the cops pronounce them dead, and she is in the back of the cop car headed two the station for manslaughter, she realizes that her life may be over. The college won't want her. The school will hate her for killing their friends. She ruined everything. Her life has been thrown away. But what if it hadn't been Ryan and Wil that crossed the street at that second that Kate swerved around the bus? The film goes on to explore all possibilities. Like if Rosanna had been hit, Wil turns to heroine to deal with the death of his fiance and unborn child. If it was Matt and Julia that had hit Ryan, or if Ryan was standing there and saw Julia run over Matt. The stirring realizations of Mr. Kane never change though, showing that no matter what would've happened, each character couldn't have won the game of life. At the very end of the story, Mr. Kane finds that in the midst of all these horrible outcomes, this is God's plan. These people were supposed to be tested, and in the end, not one of them passed. Matt and Julia couldn't find happiness out of their own misery. Rosanna comitted suicide after telling her parents that she was pregnant and they disowned her. Kate couldn't forgive herself for killing the boys, even though the world did. Wil turns to drugs, Ryan can't forgive Julia, her best friend, for hitting his other best friend. the only character who passes his test is Mr. Kane, as observer of chaos. Memorable Scene - As Johnny Depp's voice realizes that the world isn't a cruel place, its just a place to get past, scenes of Matt and Julia driving down the highway, Kate crying in a jail cell, Rosanna getting stared at down the halls of school are played, all while Beck's No Complaints plays over it. Then Matt pulls over the car and he tells Julia that he cant be with her because he cant imagine being happy with her when Ryan couldnt be there. She agrees. They continue down the road, silently bathing in their own misery.

What the Press would say:
Although the subject matter is extremely sad and depressing, the way fresh director AJ Bell portrays it, makes it feel like a dark comedy, although i don't think i laughed once. The color scemes were bright even though it was a dark story. The music is happy and upbeat when the setting is miserably beautiful. Cinematographer Ellen Kuras does an absolutely brilliant job in the best work she's done since Eternal Sunshine. The screenplay by Bell is flawlessly great, but the fact that it's based on his high school freshman year is even better. The individual stories could each be there own movie, but how he miraculously puts them together with such ease shows how talented and creative he truly is. The score is truly perfect for the film, and that Beck transforms his music to the scenes is great. The perfomances are amazing, but coming from such a young, fresh cast, is truly remarkable. Every person in the cast gives career defining performaces, but the scene stealer is Patrick Fugit in his story before the accident. Ellen Page is truly heartbreaking, and Martha MacIsaacs makes you feel her anxiety. The people who really make the show are AJ Bell and Hayden Paneteirre. Their road trip story is by far the best. As they meet people on the way, try to find happiness, then don't, it makes you feel as though their trip was worthless. But as you see how much they've grown up over the course of three days, you realize, as Mr. Kane did, that nothing in this life is worthless, you just need to see the silver lining. And with this picture, you truly see the silver lining in every gray cloud. Entertainment Weekly - The setting and score are absolutely perfect in this heartbreaking story about high school life. A-Rolling Stone - A real life story, with real life characters, that is real life art. Four StarsRoger Ebert - Two Thumbs Up! Best Film of the year!

POSSIBLE AWARDS

Best Picture

Best Director

Best Original Screenplay

Best Actor - AJ Bell

Best Actress - Ellen Page

Best Supporting Actress - Hayden Paneteirre

Best Supporting Actor - Patrick Fugit

Best Supporting Actor - Johnny Depp

Best Cinematography

Best Original Score

Best Original Song