The Script as Mirror: Review of The Fainting Game (And Other Stories) by Marshall “gripp” Gillson
The act of creating is also that of challenging your audience to perceive beyond their everyday worldview. The Fainting Game is a collection of short stories in the form of scripts by Marchall “gripp” Gillson that asks the reader to question what it is they interpret from the scripts from this collection. The closet screenplays arranged by gripp were chosen to be enjoyed specifically as a read-through (versus onscreen.) The stories in this collection originate from the production, Shyla. gripp explains that the final film version contains external influence from those involved in the production process. The version of Shyla that remains behind the door is The Fainting Game. This idea was born from a writing prompt, “a note is slipped under a door,” and the thought experiment created by American philosopher, John Searle. Searle argues that a person outside a closet might be convinced a series of elaborate dictionaries within the closer were human. gripp states, “filming is a translation and the screenplay is a form poem.” With this distinction, they ask filmmaker and viewer, “what do you see here?”
The themes of the six stories range from the exploration of racial capitalism and the definition of self as technology continues to develop. There also is an atmospheric eeriness, such as in the story “No Rules.” “The Fainting Game” and “‘Til I Get Back” elicits fear and suspense but in a different, more brutal way.
Emphasizing the reader experience and immersion is one of the most intriguing aspects of the intent of this book. It brought to focus the intersections I do and don’t inhabit. For example, our experiences shape our worldview. So, while I may relate to gripp as a neurodivergent and queer person, I also wondered what are the things I don’t understand as someone who isn’t Black? In the story “Handstyle,” there is a fear I can empathize with when confronted with the cops, but I’ll never truly experience the danger that accompanies that fear for Black people, especially Black men. “A Desert of Dreaming” and “Shyla” both poise its philosophical question with “Shyla” being the heart of the collection as philosophy in sci-fi dress.
The Fainting Game is at its core an invitation and a longing. Beneath the different genre elements is coming-of-age in the sense that the the characters in these stories are trying to arrive at truths. By asking “what do you see here” is more than just explicating the stories; it’s a way of learning more about yourself. Without the help of a cast, crew, lighting, and music, what do these stories look like? Who is looking into the mirror, and who is reflected back? What we ask ourselves is important because the answers we choose shape who we are. This process can be a lonely one. Reaching outward through their writing, gripp wonders if there’s anyone out there? The act of picking up this book is a call and response. And with these stories, gripp reassures us (and themself) that they (and we) are not alone.
