CLOSER TO FINE: LADY BIRD meets THE CATCHER IN THE RYE – As she wavers between championing individuality and seeking acceptance, a 15-year-old girl acts out but fails to recognize that her behavior may have very serious consequences.  A semi-accurate recollection of the writer's adolescence. • WATCH ME TALK MORE ABOUT CTF HERE: https://youtu.be/pIIM2XJN5Zg

SYNOPSIS:

ELEVATOR PITCH

Set in 1989, CLOSER TO FINE tells a universal, yet uniquely female, coming-of-age story.  ELISA GREEN (15) copes with the mental health struggles she’s suffered since her father’s untimely death.  She may be more intelligent, sophisticated, and witty than her peers, but these traits manifest as elitism, haughtiness, and condescension, leaving her with few friends.  Coupled with a toxic family dynamic, Elisa navigates life with little guidance or companionship.  She finds solace in pop culture: art, music, TV, books, films, and fashion.  While these interests may be great creative outlets, they distract Elisa from her very real-world problems.  She’s failing classes and defies authority, including refusing to communicate with her Mom.  Acting with such obstinance, Elisa becomes her own worst enemy and fails to recognize that her behavior may have very serious consequences.  As a contrast to masculine angst of The Catcher in the Rye, this semi-autobiographical account of the writer’s childhood offers a powerful female perspective of adolescence.

ARTISTIC VISION

AESTHETICS: CLOSER TO FINE’s tone falls between uplifting films like Lady Bird and Eighth Grade and dangerous ones like Kids and Thirteen.  Elisa’s sadness manifests in her quick wit, giving the story its melancholic feel.  The emotion and look of this 1980s dramedy can be conveyed visually using 16mm film like in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, and the somber yet hopeful ending embodies the spirit of independent cinema.

SOUNDTRACK & COSTUMES: Elisa navigates life with little guidance or companionship – a “solo act” on an exponentially greater scale than a typical latchkey kid.  She finds solace in pop culture, elements that have historically been identified with coming-of-age movies.  From American Graffiti and Fast Times at Ridgemont High to Superbad and Dazed and Confused, characters express themselves through music and clothing.  Artists and technology may change, but human behavior remains the same.  To that end, soundtrack and costumes are key components to CTF.  Elisa’s growth is explicitly tied to her interest in entertainment and fashion. 

BUDGET: CTF fits the affordable independent film model.  It has limited locations and visual effects, no large-scale action sequences, and the period production design and costumes are readily accessible.  Most consequential is the music licensing, although many lower cost substitutions can be made for the current song selections.  I estimate the film could be made for $2 million.

THE BACKSTORYIn summer 2022, I asked: who is the female Holden Caulfield? Which fictional female character exemplifies teen angst like JD Salinger’s protagonist from The Catcher in the Rye? For decades, men (mostly White, cis, hetero) have identified with Holden’s loneliness and isolation. I reviewed literature (Blume, Walker, Austen), film (John Hughes' heroines, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, The Edge of Seventeen), and TV ("Euphoria", "My So-Called Life") – there’s no female coming-of-age character whose name is as iconic. Hermione Granger, Jan Brady, and Cher Horowitz had their issues but aren’t exactly brooding; Stephen King’s Carrie was a bit too troubled. Then I reread Catcher and realized that I had faced many of the same challenges as Holden, so I decided to write my story.

The gestation was truly organic, and since my experience was analogous to Holden's ordeal, I considered it important to share from a female perspective. Holden's masculine malaise manifested as anger and despondence is replaced with muliebral melancholy illustrated by creativity and individuality. Constructing a narrative with such verisimilitude was an emotional journey – poignant, amusing, upsetting, but ultimately cathartic. Without giving away the unusual ending, CLOSER TO FINE allows girls to feel seen and connected as they cope with the difficulties of adolescence.

AWARDS:• WINNER, BEST DRAMA SCREENPLAY - Imagine This Women's Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2023

• SEMI-FINALIST - Table Read My Screenplay Competition Hollywood 2023

• TOP 25 SEMI-FINALIST - The Finish Line Script Competition 2023

• OFFICIAL SELECTION - Atlanta Women's Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2023