Another thing I think about is the approach of the music. I think the film should be sung through, just like the musical, but in a very filmic way. Pre-recorded tracks.
I imagine "I still believe" not as a 5 minute ballad sung to the camera, but as a moment where we see Kim remembering moments of her and Chris, moments we knew that happened, but have never seen, for example when she showed pictures of her parents to him, or when he promises her something (speaking a few lines) while we still hear the song in the background as a voice-over. Not everything has to be mouthed by the character at every moment. Then, the transition to the USA for Ellen's part could be very filmic, we could see Kim hugging Chris and then his silhouette diappears or changes into black smoke or something and the surroundings change, the smoke makes a circling movement around her eye, wich turns into a turning globe/land/sea which takes us to the USA, where the image of Ellen starts in the same way, but reversed. Then at the end, when Ellen and Kim harmonize, Kim stares into the night sky at the moon, and then Ellen stares at the same moon and then back to Chris, who is in bed with her, when her part starts. Some sort of connection about the distance they both feel.
So basically, not a literal approach as the material is per definition not literal. More like a triumph of the fantasy. Many scenes, such as "last night of the world" and "Thuy's death/This is the hour" are meant to show what is in their minds, not what was real. So it should be bigger than life. Filmic and theatrical.
Updated On: 3/29/16 at 08:13 PM
