The Fam

In my new screenplay A PROMISE I MADE TO MR. BAGELS, a reclusive children’s author has been called home to help his stressed-out sister take care of their ailing  parents – a father in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s and a mother who suffers with various forms of mental illness for most of her adult life.   When the film opens, the author has been home for a year and has not written in that time.  The story explores the real reason why he has had such a severe case of writer’s block.   When one of his fictional characters Mr. Bagels comes to life, all hell breaks loose and the writer begins to question his own sanity.

To say this story, in part, is based on bits of my life experiences with my family would not be a stretch.   Some of the scenes dramatized regarding the fictional mother and father characters has played out in my family’s life.  That’s a writer’s life…use their life, use other people’s lives, observe all that is going on in the world, funnel it through that awesome gift called imagination and go make some drama.

The Siblings

Speaking of drama, my siblings and I surprised our mom when we all showed up to spend time together.   The photos in this post is from our surprise gathering.  This group has not been all together for some time (pre-Covid).  We have seen each other separately throughout these last ridiculous couple of years, but as a group, this was the first time since.   There was a lot of talking and laughter – we do everything loud.  People talked over each other.  Stories were shared.  My brother John was telling one such story above.

The Matriarch

And as always, The Matriarch of the family was the center of attention.  The Matriarch is a tower of strength.  She has dealt with blow after blow when it comes to her mental and physical well-being these last couple of years.  And although she is discouraged at times, her spirit/faith is stronger than ever.  She has dealt with episodes of mental anguish with seemingly no end in sight.  Medications have been given, taken away and new ones tried.  And she endures.  She fights daily.   And she still manages to smile.  She is hope personified.

Back in 2010, my father was in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s and my mom was taking care of him.  And when it got too much for her, and eventually he past, my mom had a complete breakdown (a similar story plays out in  A Promise I Made to Mr. Bagels).   It  has been an incredibly inspiring journey watching her come back from that.  Given all the wicked atrocities coming out of Ukraine today, it makes me appreciate family and friends that much more.

Writer news to report.  LET IT SHINE made in the TOP 10 (semi-finalist) of the Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition.  This competition divides the winners into genres.  LET IT SHINE was in the family category:

Fresh Voices announced the finalists last week and unfortunately LET IT SHINE did not make the TOP 5.  So close to the top, but when you are down to the last few scripts, it really does come down to personal choice of the reader rather than the quality of the writing.   And so I go on, I keep knocking on doors, submitting the work, re-writing scripts and writing new stories to share.  American writer Joseph Campbell said it best: