Movie Analysis: “Nightingale” — Themes

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of watching movies:

To be a good screenwriter, you need to have a broad exposure to the world of film. Every movie you see is a potential reference point for your writing, everything from story concepts you generate to characters you develop to scenes you construct. Moreover people who work in the movie business constantly reference existing movies when discussing stories you write; it’s a shorthand way of getting across what they mean or envision.

But most importantly, you need to watch movies in order to ‘get’ how movie stories work. If you immerse yourself in the world of film, it’s like a Gestalt experience where you begin to grasp intuitively scene composition, story structure, character functions, dialogue and subtext, transitions and pacing, and so on.

Let me add this: It’s important to see movies as they get released so that you stay on top of the business. Decisions get made in Hollywood in large part depending upon how movies perform, so watching movies as they come out puts you in the same head space as reps, producers, execs, and buyers.

This week’s movie: Nightingale, written by Frederick Mensch.

This is a special movie for many reasons. It is the first movie produced from a script discovered on the Black List website. It debuted and currently airs on HBO. It stars David Oyelowo who played Dr. Martin Luther King in the movie Selma. And it is essentially a one-actor contained drama-thriller. Plus there’s this: You don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to watch it. It’s an HBO original.

Remote control. Click! Boom! Movie!

Our schedule for discussion this week:

Monday: General Comments
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Takeaways

For those of you who have not seen the movie, do not click MORE as we will be trafficking in major spoilers. If you have seen Nightingale, I invite you to join me in breaking down and analyzing the movie.

One of the most important themes I see at work in Nightingale is projection:

• Peter projects his rage toward his mother, demonizing her as someone who vexes him and does not understand him.
• Peter projects his affection toward Edward, fantasizing that they are best friends and perhaps even lovers.
• Peter projects his thoughts via videos to a YouTube type audience, using them as a kind of ad hoc family.

Each of these represents an object onto which Peter may project a different aspect of his psyche. This theme is supported in the featurette below in which Oyelowo, director Elliott Lester, and screenwriter Frederick Mensch raise the idea that Peter’s character has “seven different personalities”.

Rather than turning toward self-reflection as a means of assimilating these various aspects of his psyche, Peter channels his personalities toward others.

Projection is one theme I think that sticks.

Here are a couple of questions about theme I posed to screenwriter Frederick Mensch:

Scott: Were there any specific themes you were working with when writing Nightingale?

Frederick: To me, the script is about what it feels to want something that you can’t have, and where that can lead you. I was also interested in exploring the nature of isolation in a world in which we’re theoretically constantly connected to everyone else. Our online “communities” aren’t necessarily as nourishing as we’d like to believe, and for some of us I think that can lead to dangerous consequences.

Scott: Did you start with those themes or did they emerge over the course of writing the script?

Frederick: They emerged. I generally work without an outline, so I have no idea where I’m going until I get there. It’s a pretty inefficient way to work, but it’s a way for me to tap into my subconscious in a way that often yields surprising results. Some of my favorite moments in the movie are things I didn’t know I was going to write until I actually wrote them.

How about you? What themes do you see at work in Nightingale? Head to comments to share your thoughts.