All Things Blue
A fleeting moment of friendship leads a lonely young girl to a devastating truth.
In an everyday neighborhood - could be yours - there is danger. And it could come from a myriad of sources: a stranger, an errant vehicle or something as simple as a scraped knee.
But for six-year-old Iza and her mother Adel, something fierce hides among the clouds. Something ready to pounce at any moment. It keeps them indoors glued to the radio, with a heavy supply of bottled water and rations at the ready.
Adel says it’s a Dragon, with claws like icicles and eyes big enough to see anything that moves. That’s why Daddy had to go away and fight it. And this is what Iza believes.
But we know better.
The tension is palpable as Adel struggles about her day, keeping up this charade. Something’s got to give, and it will happen sooner rather than later.
Stifled by being locked away from the world, Iza roams outside to a park across the street. There, she befriends a neighborhood boy, Ted, who’s not much older but a world wiser. He, too, has grown tired of hiding indoors.
And for this one fleeting moment, they get to be kids again. Laughing. Giddy. Too lost in the moment to worry, they cheerfully take turns pushing one another on a roundabout.
It’s short-lived.
For as the Air Raid sirens scream in the distance, the children shoot a glance upwards to see the contrails of a warplane streaming across the sky. This is Iza’s Dragon. But Ted knows the truth.
And so does Adel.
A coming of age tale at its core, screenwriter Steve Miles has weaved a heart wrenching narrative of a parent living in fear of the inevitable, coupled with the innocence of childhood on the verge of being lost forever.
If you’re a filmmaker and you know your stuff, this is one you can read with your eyes closed. A festival ringer. A calling card of the highest order.
The blueprint is meticulously laid out for you here. Two easy locations, and three good actors working on a small budget. Do this story justice, and it’ll do the same for you.
