“Sometimes when I found myself on an empty subway platform late at night with a train barreling through the tunnel, I had to concentrate to keep from stepping in front of it. There was no logical thought, no actual intention; just a sudden, intense desire to casually step in front of a train and die.”
― Lily Dancyger, Negative Space
Where Reasons End
Genre: Family, Drama
Length: 122 pages
Language: English
Location: Boston, MA
Logline:
A secret diary of a dead girl gives her Grandma access to reconnect with her and navigate the Grandma undergoing deep grief and her broken relationship with her son, leading the family to reconstruct the meaning of life and family bond after the heartbreaking death of their child.
Writer Statement:
I think about death a lot. The Fault in Our Stars has been my favorite novel/movie. Even a love story, I’d prefer it to be told within the conversation of life and death. It’s almost impossible to think about the meaning of life without thinking about death. To me, death is a neutral word.
I began writing with a selfish purpose: to find myself, to ask questions, to express feelings I don’t dare to show in real life. But some are too personal that I only allow them to appear in my notebook. Screenwriting sometimes creates an illusive safety barrier between myself and the story that I don’t want to break. It took me years to finally decide to write a screenplay like this. Not because I’ve figured out the right way to convey the idea, nor because I’ve overcome my fears. I simply just couldn’t think about anything else. I couldn’t wait anymore.
Writing this screenplay allows me to imagine a moment when the writings in my notebook are heard by others. I tried to see what kinds of conversations could be created as Grandma explored Anya’s journal. Meanwhile, I’m not only curious but also feeling the need to speak up for those who are stuck in loneliness like Anya and Grandma. This movie is also an intimate letter I send out to my audience. I hope the story can build a shared space for my audience, my characters, and myself, where everyone can catch glimpses of themselves in each other.
Where Reasons End might be a sad story, it’s not about sadness. It’s a conversation about the meaning of existence, loneliness, connection, and memories. It’s a lesson the elders learn from the heartbreaking death of a young girl about the randomness of life and the importance of family bonds. The movie starts with questions about death but ends with no more reasoning. Simply moving on with all the good and bad might be the essence of life.