I just got done reading the script while watching the movie.

I just got done reading the script while watching the movie. I confess I'm pretty wrecked by it. Definitely have to process it over the course of this week. There are two storylines at work: Sophie's sexual awakening (Life). Calum's depression (Death). Can explore that when we discuss Themes.

One comment I can make in reference to the scene-by-scene breakdown: There are several scenes, moments, even characters cut from the film. My interpretation of those editorial choices is that the director wanted to keep the narrative as focused on the father-daughter relationship as possible.

One other comment about the contrast between script and movie: Wells decided time and again to provide less exposition, less explanation ... and leave more to the imagination of the audience. Even in the script, there's a paucity of information, just enough for us to stitch together a narrative about Calum and his background. There are abundant clues that he is struggling with depression and will eventually kill himself. But why? Wells leaves us with the mystery of depression. Sure, Calum's life hasn't turned out the way he had hoped. But there are deeper, darker forces at work within his psyche which keep pulling him to death's door. It would be easy to tie that to this event or that trauma. Other than no one remembering his 11th birthday, we have next to no information to provide a logical reason why Calum is drawn toward his own death.

And yet death haunts the entirety of this movie. And the dread grows inch by inch, scene by scene until an ending which just slays you.

Wells is one hell of a filmmaker. And this is one hell of a script and movie. Let's see where our analysis takes us this week.