Surreal Fantasy Film Idea (Opinions Requested)

[mthompsonfilms]

I've recently been interested in doing a low budget existential film with a lot of symbolism and meaning. Not necessarily any one meaning, mind you. Obviously any truly successful film can be interpreted a number of ways by many different people.

Anyway, last night I hastily typed out the basic plot of this film. It's essentially the story of two woodsmen who decide to build a trading post. They meet a preacher who helps them create a successful business that eventually grows into a small town. The preacher ends up creating conflict with the local Native Americans. The two woodsmen end up at odds with one another as one attempts to wage war against the Natives. They end up essentially killing each other. This story is representative, to me at least, of the story of humanity. We struggled to create civilization in the beginning, then religion helped us to be structured and orderly. Unfortunately, religion also led to conflict and war and eventually we will wipe ourselves out completely.

In order to avoid creating a huge wall of text in this post, I've put the synopsis, if it could even be called that, on Google Documents and if you are interested enough by the brief description above, you can read it here.

Some bits are much more detailed and drawn out than others (as I said, this was written frantically). Sorry about that. I'd love it if you guys could give me some advice/opinions about whether or not this story is worth writing and eventually filming. I know that it definitely has room to improve and I need to definitely work to make it more subtle and cerebral. But I think that, at its core, it's a decent enough idea.

The idea's been heavily influenced by Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising and Only God Forgives. Hopefully it doesn't seem like an exact rip off. I'm not sure whether it would be a feature or a short, honestly. I think it could work as either. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance.

 

[FantasySciFi]

It does have a lot of "Valhalla Rising" feel. As one critic put that film, "it indulges in self importance." It is a visually striking film though seems to meander without purpose. It is a good example of a film which doesn't have a clear hero's journey or 3 act structure, though there are those who will still work to force it into that model. It tends to follow the "psyche's journey". My impression was the filmmaker went out of his way to "break rules"--writing, shot composition, transitions, etc.--to create a raw, jarring effect.

In an existential film, you want to have a clear vision. Is it coincidence that the six segments carry divinatory themes of the first six letters of the runes (futhark)? The intermingling of Roman and Germanic polytheistic gladitorial games then the Roman character remarks that "Christians want money"? The Prometheus/Loki analogy with the former caretaker chained to the mountain and eviscerated? Then the crusades and other elements. Odin was a one-eyed prophet and invincible warrior.

I want to emphasize that the success of art films is principally visual. The dark intermingling of religious symbolism and references throughout "Valhalla Rising" can lead to an intellectual deconstruction but its impact is primarily visceral. I have to say that violence for its own sake is unappealing. If all that stood out in "Valhalla Rising" was the graphic violence, the picture would have failed. It was integral to the film's message.

In your summary you mention some elements that seem mismatched. If they are going to build a trading post, then struggling with the logs until the priest arrived seems counterintuitive. Also a trading post intention implies their intention to build a community which later you suggest arises from circumstance of religion. Rather than write the story first, you might want to write your philosophy first. Then pair the concepts from the clean version to your symbols.

I'm not suggesting below that this is how Winding Refn came up with his segments, but this is how he could have laid the foundation for this Odinist themed film. Notice that each segment has a shift of "runic reading" from protagonist (One-Eye) to others. Odin was one-eyed having sacrificed it to gain the power of prophecy and the knowledge of runes. I am suggesting that you layout your symbolism and let it guide your story development. Within each segment, there is a structure though he tends to favor a dialectical approach: presentation, conflict, response, resolution. (Some will say that's still "3 Act" a la Field and I would not disagree. It's not what most writers like Snyder et al. would consider "3 Act".)

Part I - Wrath
  Fehu (F) Possessions Earned & Won / Slavery & Atrophy
Part II - Silent Warrior
  Uruz (U) Physical Strength & Power / Lust & Brutality
Part III - Men of God
  Thurisaz (TH) Reactive Defense and Instinct / Danger, Betrayal & Rape
Part IV - The Holy Land
  Ansuz (A) Insight, Wisdom, Harmony / Delusion, Manipulation & Egotism
Part V - Hell
  Raidho (R) Journey, Rhythm & Perspective / Crisis, Rigidity & Death
Part VI - The Sacrifice
  Kenaz (K) Creativity, Revelation, Transformation / Decay & Loss of Illusion

No one should say "Don't make a movie." You simply need to be aware that making existential and art movies is not about making money but for self realization of a creative urge. If done well, it may earn recognition at a festival.

 

[baoliun]

I am not familiar with the referenced films,but it reminded me of an Oscar winning short - "Neighbours" Norman McLaren and another woman whose name as a sexist I obv forgot.

 

[ShockingMind]

Liked it. Weighty topics like this need to be dealt with very carefully though. Fine line between a wonderful comment on society and something that's preachy bullshit. I'm treading a similar path at the moment with a project.

 

[IndiePaul]

Just be aware that setting a movie in the past adds 25%+ to the average budget. And the market for this type of material is much smaller than main stream blockbuster fair.

So if you're planning on trying to sell it, don't use this concept - to sell it's best to keep to material that has a broad market appeal. I know that sucks, but it's the reality of modern day Hollywood. With average movie budgets hitting $60m+ plus execs are 99% of the time sticking to stuff with a very broad market appeal. There are exceptions such as stunning scripts written by pro writers at the top of their game with big prod credits to their name.