MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | CASTAWAY

CAST AWAY. Third draft. And even at that stage, a tear jerking, sweeping epic of a script. A story that is given room to breathe, with every aspect of the story being given its time to grow.

Plot in a nutshell: Chuck is barely managing a relationship, so tied to his job at FedEx is he, until a plane crash leaves him deserted on an island in the middle of the ocean. Reduced to a caveman like existence, Chuck tries to survive, determined to escape his prison.

William Broyles script is both detailed and poignant. We feel Chucks struggles, his emotions and the islands obstacles forever growing against him. But the island is only the first half, with the second half being his weeks spent on a raft, a journey more perilous than anything he faced on the island. This really is a book whittled down into a film script. You feel exhausted by the end, so engrossing is the journey.

So, what did I learn from CAST AWAY?

That William Burroughs took the time to build a characters emotional journey through his trials and tribulations. Chuck, outside of the island and the raft, is the type of character who never discusses his feelings. But left alone, at his most challenged (and boy does he get challenged), Chuck is written with such emotional depth that you barely need explanations. Even when he doesn’t speak, we can see and feel what he is suffering in his responses, actions, reactions and the perfectly descriptive action directions of his world falling apart (and being rebuilt). This is understanding that the main characters journey IS the story. That, in itself, is a powerful thing.

Phenomenal script. Beautiful film. Two different creatures at the time of this draft, but the power is there across both. Just brilliant.

Link to the script;

https://thescriptsavant.com/movies/Cast_Away.pdf