Desperation Road A Film by Nadine Crocker

V i s i o n

I see two tiny feet, no older than 7. The feet of her Mama trailing ahead. A low angle POV, the sun causing the lens to flare as her Mom turns around "keep up, baby." I see white, sun kissed hair with freckles, claustrophobically close. We're so close, we can see inside their minds, their memories. We know their deepest thoughts and fears. I want the audience to be on the ride with them as close as we can possibly be, pure vulnerability. With handhelds and steadicam taking us on the journey. Then STOIC still images, SLOWLY creeping in, BUILDING TENSION!

I see it so clearly, the spinning light of the SIREN, causing our minds to SPIRAL. The camera always in motion spiraling too. Her face void of all emotion, Clint's face grunting above her. Spiraling, always spinning. Our editor never missing a beat. Then finish in an EPIC WIDE, the lights spinning in the darkness, the headlights splitting through the black, windows steamed with sweat from the hot summer night. I plan to interject the darkness with the light, and light with darkness. I want to show that there is beauty everywhere in life, you just have to find it. In the light bouncing off the curtains shinning a pattern across the room. Beautiful glimmers of last light breaking through the shadowed kitchen, curtains flowing in the breeze. There is always beauty, no matter how hard and dark life gets. Those are the things our characters hold on to, the memories that creep in at nightfall. We can all relate to the inexplicable weight of life sometimes, especially as a new parent with not a dime in your pocket. Well, at least I can. No family for HUNDREDS of miles, no one but me and my husband trying to navigate what the hell we are doing, and desperately trying to keep our baby safe. So fragile in our hands, could stop breathing at any second. I was crippled with anxiety at the age of 27...now imagine being 17 and going through it alone. Nowhere to call home, no way to provide. Not a thing that you own but the body you're trudging up the highway everyday. Washing wealthy peoples’ laundry so you both can eat for the night.

We need the world to feel more empathy, to want to help and join together, not judge and walk past. We need to put them on Maben's path, and walk her journey. Only then can we hope they'll treat someone on their own path a little kinder. Sometimes you have to see someone’s darkest moments to understand their pain, and to walk a mile in their worn shoes. So I want them to see through the eyes of our characters, especially Annalee, I want us to see her world. All the beauty and innocence.

A few films that I believe executed this BEAUTIFULLY are, "Winter's Bone", "MUD", "Out Of The Furnace", "Hell Or High Water", "Blue Valentine".

A e s t h e t i c

Michael Farris Smith paints Mississippi in colors most of us amateurs don't even know exists. He made me feel like I had grown up there alongside him. I knew these characters deepest desires and fears. They weren't far off from my own. Instantly I felt the need to see Mississippi myself, I had to tell this story.

These towns have lasted the ages; always out with the old, in with the new. The new truck stop up the road causes the Mom and Pop's to close their doors. Art department hand created by God, from the decades of wear and life. These antique towns could tell tales from long before I was alive. The swamp lands and marshes filled with creatures, BOUNTIFUL rolling green foliage as far as the eye can see. LONG winding roads that just keep going and going. Hard to know where one town ends and the other one begins. The state of Mississippi is the star, doing all the work for us, we're just passengers following along her roads. The goal above all else is raw authenticity. To open people's eyes to the Mississippi most of us don't know exists, we need writers like Michael Farris Smith to make us realize what we're missing.

T h e M e s s a g e

At its heart this film is a father-son story, a poetic tale of a father who loves his boy but never quite knows how to say it. One of my favorite passages in the whole book was Mitchell's deepest thoughts on life and death, after finding his lifetime spouse long passed away next to her tomato garden. How he never thought of death before, but it followed him home from the gravesite. Every day that passed, it was with him. In the silence of the night as he smoked on his porch alone, with his morning cup of coffee- anytime he did something outside of his comfort zone at his age. Just praying to make it to his son's return...which brings me to the magic of Russell returning home and seeing the house that was there waiting for him, hand prepared by his father. Love and care put into every layer of paint and stain. "And he knew that his dad was sitting there. Waiting. And he didn't want to keep him waiting any longer."

While Mitchell is throwing feed into his pond and the catfish are stirring, he hears a familiar sound. He hears the truck he's owned most of his life, clunking up the long driveway. He releases the fish pulling on his line, anxiously waiting for the truck to appear on the dirt road. His son is finally returning home. These two men meet and a firm handshake is all they exchange. But inside, I don't need to hear Mitchell say it to know he wants to hold his boy and grip him tight in his arms, and tell him to never leave again. THIS IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS FILM. Under all of life's struggles is the truth we all search for, LOVE, it makes all this pain worth it. Having someone and somewhere to call home.

Maben and Annalee's story is the same tale, a mother trying to provide for the child that holds her heart and soul in the palm of her delicate hands. "The Pursuit Of Happiness" of Mississippi. Every character is important, no part of this story exists without every perspective of this film. The theme is LOVE. Love and loss, betrayal, grief. New beginnings. The most beautiful love story of the film is the entangled story of Consuela and Mitchell. The way their eyes always follow each other and find one another in a room. Always checking in to make sure they're okay. Language at times a barrier, but they don't need it to know how they feel. Or to know the guilt he feels from his heart's betrayal of loving another woman now after the loss of his wife. We can relate to every theme in this book and film because what we see above all else, is that we're all the same. We feel deeply, we don't love or forgive ourselves enough, we SEARCH for a fresh start and a happy life. It's the American Dream of survival in this country where the divide is so great. Billionaires exist while children are starving on the streets. We need to drastically change this planet and the only way to do that is by joining together and doing our part. Mine is to tell stories like this, helping us all to remember we're not too different from one another. We're not alone.

The Color

I see burning sun soaked images. The unforgivable heat and inescapable rays that beat you down throughout your day! Once night falls the black creeps in, the underbelly of this town is free to play. The murky waters stare back, always waiting for you to let your guard down. The only lights visible are the wailing BLUES and REDS of the sirens you're praying not to see in your mirrors.

I want them to FEEL the heat through the screen, the dew and pink of their sunburn, SIZZLING as they walk. I want to see the terror in her BABY BLUE eyes, as she RUNS with all her might. The day is unforgiving and the night a fight for survival.

Blazing oranges, reds, and yellows with a vintage look of film; rich, creamy colors and texture. Deep browns and tans on the walls, wood paneling and NEON lights. The walls coarse from the decades of wear, rust and fading on every inch of this state. Red, blues, and cyan at night. Every character fighting to find the light in the darkness of their stories and environment. So the tone will match with SHADOWED, HIGH CONTRAST images. With custom color created by Jill Bogdanowicz, my amazing colorist: Joker, Doctor Sleep, John Wick, Blade Runner, Umbrella Academy, O' Brother, Where Art Thou? If I keep going this will be a look book featuring only Jill’s impressive resume and impeccable style.

A few films that I LOVE and pull inspiration from for coloring and lighting themes are, "No Country For Old Men", "Ain't Them Bodies Saints", "Out Of The Furnace".

MICHAEL FARRIS SMITH

Michael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Book Riot, and numerous others, and have been named Indie Next List, Barnes & Noble Discover, and Amazon Best of the Month selections. He has been a finalist for the Southern Book Prize, the Gold Dagger Award in the UK, and the Grand Prix des Lectrices in France. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters.