The Fall
A struggling journalist is summoned to interview a mysterious being with an unbelievable story of the beginning of the universe.
The Fall
SPECS
WGA Reg: I353439
Format/genre: Feature length Drama. (101 pages)
Tone: Edgy, etherial and raw story of redemption and faith.
Comps: Interview With The Vampire meets Paradise Lost
Rating: PG-13
LOG LINE: A struggling journalist is summoned to interview a mysterious being with an unbelievable story of the beginning of the universe.
Overview: THE FALL is a modern retelling of Paradise Lost. It tells the story of the creation of and subsequent fall of Lucifer and the war of the Angels. I employ the use of a journalist who is failing at his craft and as his new role as a father. Through him we see humanity’s attempt at understanding ancient mysteries in a world that has mostly moved past them.
Main Characters
Peter Goodman: Pulitzer Prize winning journalist has lost his edge after becoming a father. Struggling to find his way in this new role he embarks on one last assignment.
Yurshad: Peter’s guide. A pleasant and humble Middle Eastern Man, he leads Peter into the wild to meet the Mysterious Creature.
Shamin Kahin: The mysterious creature that has summoned Peter to tell his story. He recounts the tale of the fall of the angels and beginning of mankind.
Lucifer: Head angel and first created being. The most beautiful and majestic of all angels falls victim to his own pride and leads a rebellion against his creator and other angels.
Michael: Angel and friend of Lucifer, he remains faithful to his creator.
The Story
We begin with PETER GOODMAN, a once promising journalist who seems to be struggling. He is fearful and unsure of himself since the birth of his son. He can no longer be the “jump first-think second” man he once was. When his supervisor at the New York Times presents a once in a lifetime opportunity, he tries to decline. A reclusive and elusive mystical figure from the middle east has asked to meet with him. Tiresome of his lack of ambition he is given the ultimatum of going or be fired. He reluctantly agrees.
Upon arriving he meets his guide YURSHAD, a middle eastern man with a great knowledge of the area and of the one who has called Peter. He is a wonderfully calm and personable man who leads Peter to a remote area of Iraq he calls Janaat Eadn… the garden of Eden. Peter is unimpressed.
He is led to a remote section of the wild where a small hut sits. The occupant of the hut is SHAMIN KAHIN. A cloaked dark figure who reveals himself to be something of an angelic (fallen?) being. He has chosen Peter to divulge his first hand account of the creation of the angels, war of the angels and creation of the world and mankind.
He tells of the creation of Lucifer, his brother and friend as well as the other angels. He reveals their roles in the creation of the universe and their relationships with each other. Lucifer is a powerful yet loving brother to them all. Shamin tells the story like a dirge… out of a broken heart for what should have been.
Peter is skeptical, full of questions and fears of his own. Shamin tells of how Lucifer became jealous when finding out about the humans God wanted to make. He was dissatisfied with his role in the heavens and their inability to create. And now God wanted to create these beings who could self create their own kind… it was the breaking point.
As God finishes his last creation, mankind, Lucifer has won a third of the angels to his cause and leads a revolt against Michael, Gabriel and the faithful angels. Ultimately they are defeated by God himself and some banished to “hell” and others thrown down to earth with Lucifer. Unwilling to let it go he trips up the humans into disregarding their creator and are banished from Eden to wander the earth.
Peter is disturbed by why he sees God abandoning them. His own personal struggles come to a head in the end as he blames God for his life and trials. We culminate with an encounter from God himself and Shamin is discovered to have a more intimate relationship with Peter. He has been chosen with an imminent and particular purpose. One that he must embrace as part of God’s final plan. What will he choose?
I see the tale of Paradise Lost as one of mythology yes, but ultimately a foreshadowing of our own need to reconcile our free will with the will of God. Peter’s final test is not unlike one we all must face. Either it is all true, or it is not. His decision will have eternal ramifications. He must decide what free will is; a final and necessary flaw or a gift from his creator.