My overall impression
It’s difficult to write a review about such a well-written show and not just spoil the heck out of the plot for those of you who haven’t had a chance to see it yet! For me, there was no plot twist. It sounds twisted, but I knew who I wanted the antagonist to be and it was compelling to watch that all unfold. For others it came as an unsettling surprise, which was indicated by the audible raw emotions coming from the packed house. I think the characters are really well-defined, each with a language of their own. I knew all these people in HS. I especially liked watching the growth of each of these characters, extending beyond their stereotypes, keeping them real and human and multifaceted. Well, everyone except for the antagonist, who is held back by fear and anger so severely, that they can’t see past themselves or control their angst-ridden outbursts.
The direction was fun and the energy of the cast kept you engaged. They had wonderful pacing, great use of the space, and a playfulness with the humor written into the script. It was great to see such a young cast up there. There’s always some improvements to be made, but given the time-frame of fringe, I think they did well. There’s also a very enjoyable LARPing battle sequence full of lights and sound that gets you feeling like you’re a part of the action! These vivacious elements help with the heavier scenes to come. And the meta aspect gives a great contrast between the world of fake violence and the world of real violence.
This was a well-crafted (wink, wink) story by Gregory Crafts. I actually think it’s written in a wonderful format for film. I’d fight for the rights to that! What Greg does is give very quick scenes in the beginning that lets you identify with each character and the world they live in. Continuing with the short scene format, he begins to build their storyline and then change the direction of their storylines by crossing paths. Then he has longer scenes filling in the more dramatic life-changing catalysts, such as “highschool love.” He heightens the drama with scenes of debate and the very highschool “going behind someone’s back to stir-up trouble and bring enemies face to face,” which we all know is a disastrous recipe in Hollywood movies. The cool thing about showcasing the conflict and struggle in this, is that he has this built in theatrical element of this role playing game world, which can only be more exhilarating with the magic of movies! Then we follow into that awful main character moment where all is lost in the world he once knew, the world he just found/created, and his future world. And then we stay with him until he dusts himself off and tries again. And then… you know… it’s still not all hopes, dreams, and a happy ending… and it actually might get worse – you’ll have to see it if you want to know. But my point is, take his 4 characters, add teachers, parents, classmates, reporters, and I think it would be a remarkable film.
I also believe this script needs to be published, so it can start circulating highschool drama departments all across the US (and world). This is a repeated story in the media. No matter how unexpected each occurrence is, this is the world we live in. Everytime we hear these stories, the reports are always the same. The classmates, parents, and teachers interviewed always say the same thing, that looking back on it, they can see how it all adds up to this person doing it, but they disregarded the warning signs in advance because they just didn’t think that person was capable of such a thing. Maybe raising awareness via this theatrical piece could actually prevent an incident before it happens. Or even just make one bully rethink what their actions today might mean in the long run and help them walk away from the damage they might cause.
