ALTHEA

Dramatic idea

In a small, fictional, gorgeous Island forgotten by people, somewhere in the Aegean, Althaea lives a little knit society. Not more than 200 people. They have everything but tourism. In this little paradise appears an American film crew for the filming of a movie. Our community gets upset with the arrival of foreigners. As a welcoming place that is, the top heads of the island, find accommodations for visitors, at the houses of inhabitants, since there are no hotels.

The Mayor of Althea, John Rokakis, organizes an authentic traditional island feast in honor of the guests.

Various erotic entanglements occur between locals and foreigners, at all ages. At the top, Nikolas, a forty years old local fisherman, with the thirty years old producer Bobbi (formerly known as an actor), as well as his little brother Meleagros, 20 years old, with the ambitious and promising starlet Elisa, a young girl, just turned 18. Also, the veteran actor John Markus, with the, more than 30 years old, dumb cousin of Nicolas, Argyro. Finally, the "intellectual" film director David "carried away" by the restless, head of the local amateur theatrical group, Erofili.

The inhabitants of Althea, unaccustomed by the presence of the Americans, are upset, but also many of the Americans, profoundly affected by the unknown to them, but so real and remote from the Western culture, lifestyle in the island. Thus, the winged son of Venus, easily and effectively makes the job that has entrusted his mother: to do them all, upside down. In the beginning emotionally. Soon, however, this mess is extending to all sectors.

The big overturn, occurs when this small society discovers that, the film which the Americans turn, is a porno! In fact, co-producer is the Greek-American Tom, son of the newly repatriated, Mayor of Althea, John Rokakis.

The bomb that exploded brings everything upside down, both for the inhabitants and for the Americans, as on this occasion many bad things were revealed, that were considered as "good". At the end, nothing is anymore as it was before. Everything has changed.

SYNOPSIS:

ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ

Αλθαία

ΒΑΣΙΚΗ ΙΔΕΑ

Nicolas is a virile, tanned islander around 45 years old and quite the educated electrician. After a very intense romantic disappointment and the simultaneous loss of his parents twenty years ago, Nicolas returned to his roots and became a fisherman in order to raise his new-born brother, Meleagros. They live together on a utopian Aegean island, Althea, which could absolutely exist; only time feels like it has stopped about forty years ago when tourism hadn’t taken over these islands and a tourist stood out like a sore thumb, while a fisherman had no problem going fishing without his mobile phone.

So, it is at this island, that a luxury yacht arrives. It belongs to Bobbi Adams, an American actress who has come to the island to shoot a movie with which she will be making her debut as a producer. Her crew is American comprised of super trendy youngsters, technicians, artists and actors. They make a huge impression on the local Altheots. At the same time, the impression the Americans get is of a similar scope; they cannot comprehend that there are people who live so simply and sincerely; and this truth disarms them. The Americans’ arrival coincides with an intense earthquake, which however causes no real damage. The whole village has gathered at Melpos’ coffeehouse: the Greek-American, repatriated mayor of the island, John Rokakis and the deputy mayor and physician, Faltsetas, are listening to the news about the earthquake on TV, quite concerned and commenting on it. Mrs. Melpo, together with her mute 35-year-old daughter, Argyro, are waiting on tables – running back and forth like headless chickens. Bobbi with the film crew, around 20 people, reach Althea’s port and are directed towards Melpos’ coffeehouse. The mayor welcomes them in a friendly and cordial manner. He makes the introductions, he treats them with various snacks and, as there are no hotels on the island, distributes them accordingly to the most suitable and hospitable homes on the island. From the start, Bobbi attracts Nicolas’ attention, while the veteran actor, John, communicates brilliantly using sign language with Argyro, the mute. That night, the mayor organises a traditional feast to welcome the foreigners. Dancing, singing – a proper Greek celebration ensues. The foreigners come closer to the locals. At dawn, at the beach, Meleagros and the young starlet Elisa share their first kiss, while Nicolas meets with Bobbi to exchange a few words and invites her to join him on his boat and go fishing.

At dawn, out in the open sea, it doesn’t take long for Nicolas and Bobbi to get lured into having sex. At noon, Erofili, the manager of the local Theatrical Society, is better acquainted with David, the director, whom she is accommodating at her home. They talk about art and life and a while later they go to the municipality’s Cultural Centre to watch the rehearsals for their upcoming production Lysistrata. David makes some suggestions regarding the direction.When Nicolas and Bobbi return to the coffeehouse, they find there the whole theatre troupe. David plays on TV excerpts he filmed of the rehearsal. The mayor watches them and is delighted. He asks them if they can shoot a promotional film about Althea, in order to improve the island’s flow of tourism, which is his dream. One night, John finds Argyro sitting alone in the shut coffeehouse. He approaches her gently, but she being scared, reacts violently. As an experienced man, he hugs her affectionately and erotically, making the mute girl give into him wholeheartedly. This, for her, unprecedented experience wakes up, unexpectedly, her dark past - the rape she lived through when she was 12. Overwhelmed by the shock the mute girl finds her voice again.

Thus, it is on Althea Island that four strong romances are intertwined, all with very intense emotional situations.

It the 15th August, and besides the celebrations for the Assumption of Mary, there is also a wedding taking place. Tom, the mayor’s son, is the best man. He arrived the day before both for leisure and to observe the progress of the shoot; he is a co-producer in the film, something his father is not aware of. He is the one that suggested to Bobbi to shoot the film in Althea. The feast that follows is also a ‘farewell party’ as the next day the Americans are leaving the island. Bobbi and Nicolas, fully immersed in each other experience the last moments of their love. The rest of the crew, however, are shooting the last few scenes. Just there! At the lighthouse! Meleagros and Erofili - disobey the orders not to - and go, in secret, to see what happened and why the crew is late. There, through the glass window of the lighthouse they watch the filming of a very hard-core sexual scene with John and Elisa. The shock is huge. The two kids run away. Meleagros hides in his hiding place, a magic cave. Elisa joins him a while later in order to explain her story to him. David catches up with Erofili and opens his soul to her. John holds Argyro in his arms and the love she feels oozing out of him, makes her feel secure. For the first time, she recognizes in the moralistic face of Faltsetas, her rapist. Bobbi, who sees that everything has been revealed, takes Nicolas to the editing suite and shows him the most hard-core scenes from her international career as a porn star. Nicolas is speechless. Bobbi defends herself by explaining to him her position on sex, love, adoration and porn. But most importantly she explains the irresistible attraction she feels for this job. It is like an addiction. A drug.

The dialogues that transpire between the four couples are very dramatic. A distraught Nicolas remembers his brother and runs out to look for him. Bobbi, looking like a queen, joins everyone at the wedding table and sits next to Tom Rokakis. She tells him what happened and Tom takes on a very serious expression. They call out for David and John to join them. At the same time, Nicolas walks into the cave and finds the two youngsters in a tender embrace. Meleagros make a misguided move, slips and hurts himself badly. The mayor thanks the Americans for helping make Althea internationally known. The conservative Faltsetas, however, reacts sharply and question their ethics. Argyro, unable to control herself, reveals that twenty years ago it was he who raped her. A great fuss ensues. A lot of shouting follows; a general commotion. Nicolas, carrying a bloody Meleagros, and followed by Elisa, walks into the coffeehouse. Argyro lets out a scream and runs to them. She orders Doctor Faltsetas to do whatever he can to save his son, Meleagros. A deadly silence ensues. Melpo explains that they hid the truth even from Nicolas; the pregnancy of the young mute and the fact that her sister had adopted the new-born. Tom’s simultaneous translation shocks Bobbi. She gets up, just like a robot and walks out. At dawn, Bobbi walks along the pier on her own, Nicolas joins her. He asks her: “Why?” Bobbi explains: She too has been raped when she was 14 and had given birth to a young lad just like Meleagros, who was taken away from her and given up for adoption. Since then, she felt an overpowering need to be sexually humiliated. This is the only way she manages to feel sexual pleasure.

The next day at the yacht, Tom announces to everyone that Bobbi has removed herself from the production and has bestowed her share to him. However, since the filming of the last scene was interrupted, the movie will not be completed. If filming is not completed, he too will be financially ruined, just like Bobbi. At first, he got involved in this project as a joke on his authoritarian father. Now he sees bankruptcy and disinheritance coming his way. Everyone listens to him silently. Nobody wants their withdrawal from the project to cause such damage, but nobody wants to continue because of the way things have taken shape. Finally, Nicolas suggests the idea that they all coproduce a movie that, instead of being a porn movie, actually depicts the reality of what happened to them in Althea. In this way, they will all do a proper cinematic debut. Tom explains that they do not know any producers or distributors, but Bobbi is now thinking seriously about contacting her father since he is a film producer.

The movie ends…. With the end credits rolling over the same scenes the movie actually began with, but this time all the technicians and crew who helped film it, are slowly being revealed.

NOTE OF INTENTIONOne of the most tantalizing questions that has tormented thinkers worldwide, is the fine line between what is moral and immoral, within and outside our societies. Often this concept has been identified with good and evil although the relationship between the two is not connected, since neither of these values is absolute. Indeed, we can observe moral people showing great malice and good people be characterized as immoral. Simultaneously, many other characteristics coexist, which could be attributed, on many levels, to a moral person or an immoral person conversely. At the same time, one of the most cherished themes, that has occupied every type of art form, is the duality of man, meaning his good side (his spiritual or as others would put it divine) and the bad (the animalistic side). Another question that is constantly stirred and hotly debated is: where does art end and where does porn begin.

When I was a young man, I read the myth of Apuleius “Eros and Psyche” and I was fascinated by it. I was trying to interpret the heroes’ mistakes, the ‘how’ and ‘why’ they paid so dearly for them, what does this punishment mean, and in what way does atonement come and, of course, above all how does the Psyche (Soul), which is human, meet with Eros, who is a God. From this myth I took the basic idea. I tried to bring it closer to our time and present my understanding of it in the form of a novel. The images I was seeing, however, led me to put it to rest for a while and turn it into a screenplay. Thus, although I have already written approximately one hundred pages, a full synopsis, which I have included in this application as the Dramatic Idea, and character descriptions of all the central characters, today I submit my proposal for the development of a screenplay, in order for us to work together and create a strong production package.

Althea’s inhabitants live in a world very different from that of the Americans, since the latter mainly deal with pornography. The audience, however, follows the story’s development and is only made aware of this in the very end. The Aegean summer atmosphere, with its simple people and their sincere feelings, quickly lures the characters into developing strong romances with intense emotions. We watch our heroes eat and drink, enjoy themselves, dance and sing, love, be loved, fall in love, be jealous and be passionate. They live intensely. It could have been us in their place. Even in place of one of the Americans, whose true colours haven’t yet been revealed to us. Our four couples, Nicolas and Bobbi, Meleagros and Elisa, John and Argyro, and David and Erofili, negotiate one couple’s conflict seen from four different perspectives, age, sex, education, personality and psychological – emotional sensitivity, maturity and stability.

Up until the truth is revealed, the story’s development is simple, beautiful, sweet, gentle and elegant; just like summer song. It has all the characteristics of a pleasant, romantic comedy, which with carefully selected known, and unknown songs, could be described as a movie with many elements of a musical. However, it won’t lack depth; it will not remain on the surface but won’t spoil our fun with intense concerns, either. We leave that for the end. Because, the moment the truth is revealed, it will shake us all. It will make us question how we would feel if we discovered, unexpectedly, that the person who entered our life and awoke feelings we thought we would never experience again, and whom we feel as the love of our life, is a porn star.

ALTHEA