...
- It could be read as a metaphor.
- Mel can be viewed as
Mel
- Mel
...
- as a manifestation of Ben's consciousness.
- He is guilty about his willingness to cheat, and as he takes a nap he dreams this whole script
- It could be read as a "superhero" story
- This is the path I'd like to take. Below are my character notes based on this assumption
Mel
- Mel is Enoch's daughter (From Genesis 5)
- Her father "walked with God" and she was given unending life.
- Everytime she dies she finds herself resurrected once more.
- Overtime she realizes that her death comes with a "superpower": the ability to reverse time for a specific person. Basically, give that person a second chance. But she can only do that at the moment of her death.
- She comes back to life, no matter how she dies. Even if she's blown to smithereens
- It's a difficult thing for her to exercise her super power, because dying is not a simple thing. It's a painful process and it traumatises her.
- Because of the length of her life she has watched many of her loved ones just wither and die.
- She now views the unending life as a curse not a blessing
- She has become a darker individual doing all she can to dull out the pain she perceives her life has become.
- That led her on some occasions to try and end her life. It never works
- Before she meets Ben, she has just watched a long time friend pass away at the hospital
- All the past traumas in her life come weighing down on her at this point and she decides to commit suicide.
- That's when she meets Ben and the story takes place.
- Through talking to him she decides to exercise her superpower and give him a second chance, once she's sure he wants that second chance.
Ben
- Ben is frustrated with his marital life.
- He doesn't feel like him and his wife are on the same page any longer.
- His wife is always busy at her work and at times she makes him feel small for not being as successful as her
- He feels since she makes the lion's share of the family's income, that he is insignificant.
- He has thought of leaving her, but their kids keep him from making this move. He loves his kids and feels like breaking up the marriage will negatively impact them.
- So instead he swallows his pride and puts on an act that everything is fine.
- But with such stresses on the relationship, the fights erupt and the bad feelings between them often come to the surface.
- Lately it has been with such frequency that he feels chocked in his life.
- Ben and his wife don't have good communication, so they tend to bury the issue.
- They would not talk to each other for days on end. Then when the sharpness of the fight dulls out, life returns to some normality until the next disagreement and fight erupt.
- Ben confides in the "other woman", Karen whom he meets.
- He sees in his relationship with Karen, what he can't attain in his relationship with his wife.
- Although deep down he feels the sense of responsibility towards his family, he can't escape the need to feel that he belongs with someone and he finds that in Karen.
- His wife catches him cheating with Karen
- Ben's wife takes the kids and leave.
- They get into an accident and the daughter dies.
- Ben feels an overwhelming sense of guilt. He thinks it's due to his selfishness that his daughter is dead. He should have never been thinking about himself. He should've just kept his feelings and needs bottled up and ignored.
- Ben decides to commit suicide because he thinks it's only justice for his daughter.
- That's when he meets Mel