Summer Romance – A Married Angst Script

As we continue to talk about writing romantic films, let’s move onto the category of the married angst movie. Unlike in both the teenage angst and the adult angst film, at least one of the partners in this category is married… allowing for different kinds of complications.

Looking at two classic marriage angst films, Casablanca [1942] and Brokeback Mountain [2005], we discovered that marriage angst films often have three things in common:

1. The love between the characters is up against unsurmountable odds.
2. They’re generally straight dramas, but sometimes with a light-hearted moment or two. But in general, these romances are full of the drama that comes when the principal characters try to be together but ultimately fail.
3. One of them is alone at the end, but does have someone to share a moment with even though we ultimately feel sad that the couple couldn’t be together.

So using those three points, think about how to approach constructing a marriage angst romantic script.

First, which of the two people in this relationship is married? Or are they both married? How did they meet? Have they been friends for a long time and then became lovers? Or did they meet by accident on a train or plane and find themselves drawn to one another? Is one rich and one poor? Do they live in different cities and that’s what makes their romance hard? Or are they neighbors and that makes it even harder? Do their jobs help or interfere with their romance? Is their marriage good or horrible? Are their kids involved for either of them?

Second, why are they so drawn together? Why do they try and go against the odds and continue this romance? What kinds of things happen when they try and meet? Does something really tragic happen because of the passion they have for one another? Or is your story more about how they would hurt too many people by being together?

Third, who is affected by their attempts to be together? Does someone find out about their romance and that’s what brings it to an end? And who finds out—a child, a friend, a parent? Or does their spouse find out? If the romance is between a married person and a single person, does the single person approach the married person’s spouse as revenge for their lover's refusal to leave that spouse? Do any violent things happen? Does each person confide in someone during the course of the film? Does that person figure in the drama when the breakup comes? Who does each person ultimately talk to about their relationship when it’s over?

These are some of the kinds of questions you need to begin asking as you start writing your marriage angst script. Remember that, in the end, it should be one of those stories where we WANT these two people to be together, but we realize why they couldn’t be—whether it’s because of duty, society or circumstances. They were in a no-win situation that we hoped they could win, but when they don’t we totally get it.

Next week, let’s look at how you’d approach writing the older people romance.

Copyright © Diane Lake

19Aug18

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com