Thought what I needed was a reason, a purpose. Went looking for a battlefield, went looking for a sanctuary, still looking for a reason.
Originally commissioned as a BBC serial, now developed as a feature to be directed by Vincent.
SYNOPSIS
In the flourishing music scene in Brighton, England, we witness the dramatic rise of indie band The HollowMen, led by charismatic singer-songwriter MARKO. The sudden rush of fame is fantastic to most of the band, but Marko finds it deeply disturbing, creating a tension in the group. On the eve of their breakthrough tour – a 6 month coast-to-coast US adventure – Marko disappears into stormy seas off the end of Brighton’s landmark Palace Pier. CCTV cameras catch him apparently going over the edge. The media speculation is that he has killed himself, and the police consider him missing presumed dead.
Obsessive self-harming teenage fan JAYNE doesn’t believe that Marko is dead – and she intends to prove it. She runs away from the family home in York to Brighton in a bid to unearth the clues to what has happened to Marko. Keeping one step ahead of her parents and the police, Jayne visits the people and places that were close to Marko, and finally learns a dark truth that explains his strangeness, and at the same time, using lyrics from his songs to put together the puzzle, she becomes convinced he has fled to Spain, a country that has a mysterious fascination to him.
Jayne makes her way to Spain and survives by waiting tables while she follows the trail that leads to Marko. Assisted by GABRIEL, a local Catalan, she finds Marko living in the wilds of a mountain valley. She tracks him back to the cave he’s living in, and they become lovers. But it’s not enough; Jayne wants to persuade Marko to come back to the world he’s rejected, where his songs mean so much to so many people. This struggle culminates in a dramatic climax, drawing on the bizarre religious rituals of rural Spain. Now Jayne finds herself in the spotlight; the obsessive fan becomes the bright star.
STATUS
Commissioned script now fully owned by Vincent. Part 2 of his EUROPE trilogy.