How It Ends

Author(s): Connor Campbell
Location: Texas

“How it Ends"

Directed by Sam Mendes
Written by Dan Futterman

Principal Cast:

Patricia Arquette- Carrie Tungsten
Greg Kinnear- Allen Tungsten
Emma Roberts- Gracie Tungsten
Matt Weinberg- Cameron Tungsten

Tagline: "Family ties that bind…and gag"

Synopsis: The Tungsten family had been living a somewhat normal life in Flagstaff, Arizona. Allen was a borderline alcoholic and a stoner, but the family seemed not to notice, except for when he vacuumed the front lawn. Allen & Carrie had been married for 21 years and had two children, Gracie and Cameron. Carrie is a normal mom who works as a substitute teacher at her son’s elementary school. Allen had a job that nobody in his family quite understood, and quite frankly he didn’t either. Gracie was a normal teenager who partied, dabbled with drugs, just like every other teen. And Cameron was introverted and smart. He was funny, but he didn’t say much. He kept his distance from people. Then everything changed.

Carrie was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, when the trigeminal nerve which relates to jaw function, sight & hearing is damaged most commonly by aneurysm, and if gone untreated, could possibly be fatal. The treatment for the disease was not available in Arizona, so they had move to Chicago. They sold their home and bought a house in Bolingbrook, Illinois where there was a job available for Allen. Here was where the problems started.

Carrie was unable to work, since she was prone to sudden attacks of pain and short periods of blindness and deafness. She would have her new friends take her to bars where she would develop a drinking problem. Allen’s drinking got worse and he was on drugs most people don’t know exist. He was spending a lot of money for these substances that were needed to pay for Carrie’s medical treatment and not to mention the electric, water and gas all while juggling an affair with a coworker of his named Jenny. Gracie made friends quickly, and partied until the early hours of the morning, on all sorts of drugs. She was loosing control. Cameron was furious with his mother when she decided to skip his birthday to go to her favorite bar, Stanley’s.

Carrie was faced with a difficult decision, she could divorce Allen, not have the operation and risk the small but real possibility of death, and loose custody of her children since she had no money and was developing a drinking and gambling problem, or stay with Allen unhappy, but have her kids and her life. But then something would happen that would spare her the difficulty of having to choose.

Allen was in his Camry speeding to Jenny’s house. It was a rainy day, almost pitch black outside if it weren’t for the headlights and the lights coming from the stores, gas stations and houses he passed by. This kind of day was the kind that Carrie thought of as perfect for drinking. In a hurry, Allen ran a red light. As Carrie and her friends drove to Stanley’s, a Camry ran in front of them and they collided. Allen and Carrie were both killed.

Gracie was high and roaming the sidewalk with her friends when she saw her parents collide, while Cameron was across the street skateboarding to his friend Kyle’s. A disease pulled them apart when a collision brought them together.

What the press would say:

Wow. This film belongs alongside American Beauty and Crash as some of the greatest modern dramas ever made. Dan Futterman has done it again. “How it Ends” is a masterpiece about disease, dysfunction, drugs & suburbia. The film is a perfect mix of comedy and drama. Sam Mendes has done it again. His beautiful direction has blended perfectly with this amazing script. This project is sure to win him his 2nd Oscar®. Patricia Arquette is amazing as Carrie, the victim of an obscure disease who turns to drinking and gambling to drown out the troubles and fear she faces. Her performance is almost flawless. Greg Kinnear provides the comedic relief in the film as the drunken stoner of a father. His performance is amusing as well as thought-provoking. Emma Roberts, the niece of Julia Roberts has inherited the acting gene. Her performance as Gracie is amazing and is one of the best child performances in a long time. She beautifully plays the troubled teen which is ever so baity. Matt Weinberg has come a long way from The Hot Chick as Cameron the troubled child who’s just trying to fit in. Overall the cast and crew work beautifully alongside each other with great editing, scoring and cinematography.

FYC.

Best Picture
Best Director- Sam Mendes
Best Actress- Patricia Arquette
Best Actor- Greg Kinnear
Best Supporting Actress- Emma Roberts
Best Supporting Actor- Matt Weinberg
Best Original Screenplay- Dan Futterman
Best Editing- Tariq Anwar
Best Cinematography- Dick Pope
Best Original Score- Thomas Newman