June 10, Movie Plans

I plan to use the story, Everyday Use. I'm thinking of keeping the name, but that might change as the story develops in my mind.

The setting will be a mid to early 20th century Nigerian village. We will get to know the way of life of the village, and many of its characters. I will also develop the setting of "Dee's" school, which will be a British run boarding school for bright negro children in the area. The school will serve as a prep. school for possible further education in Britain. At this school she will meet her boyfriend, who is from a wealthy Nigerian family from the city. His father works in government. I will use the city, government buildings, and his home as well.

The plot has various types of conflict. The Dee grows to find her mother, sister and father to be backward after living at the boarding school and learning the modern ways of the British. Her Boyfriend is a bright and promising student who wants to study theology and philosophy at Oxford. He's a devout Christian, and Dee becomes a convert. There's conflict between Dee and her family about her judgment of their religious views. Dee's father is part of a village revolt against the British oil companies that are taking property, violently handling the locals, and not paying the people for the oil they take from their lands. The government is helping the oil companies, and the boyfrined's father is a culprit. A relationship develops between Dee's father and the boyfriend. There is conflict over the traditional way to handle conflict, and the boyfriend's ideas of peaceful resistance, but ultimately they're on the same side of this conflict creating conflict between the bf and his rich father.

The society is dealing with the idea of educating their children in the only schools available, knowing that the British run schools are brainwashing their children and turning them away from their traditional ways, even spiritual. The villagers are dealing with oppression from the gov. and the oil industry in the region. They are left with no choice but to fight back.

Dee and her boyfriend, both have to deal with issues of self identity. They both struggle with the uncertainty of where they belong in the world, and what exactly that world is.

The irony in the story is that even though the bf's message is accepted and the villagers attempt a peaceful revolt, the government, with orders from the oil company respond with brute force. many are killed, including Dee's father. The bf is wouded severely. Dee's mother uses her knowledge of traditional shamanic healing practices to nurse him to a complete recovery. During this healing process, he gets to know and understand that this quiet and "backward" mother, in all her simplicity, was actually a very spiritually evolved human being. He ends up marrying Dee, and they take in the mother and sister. They move to his large estate where the mother grows crops in a field and raises a herd of goats with the sister. The bf, challenges his father for his seat in gov. and wins. Though he espouses non-violence, it is his involvement and injury during the earlier revolts that makes him a warrior-like hero in the eyes of the people.

There will also be irony in that they will be forced to use the products of modernisation, while simultaneously recognising their exploitation. The bf, drives a car to go and protest the oil company. etc..

For symbolism, Dee and the boyfriend will pray every day before a large poster of a blonde, blue-eyed Jesus. Jesus will be holding a white lamb. I'll have to to think more about this area. I don't want to be too overt.

I'm also still shopping for actors. I would like to do an all african cast, but that would not sell well globally the way an Americn cast would. I think i might mix it up, introduce some new blood while paying the bills with the familiar faces.