Film Treatment: Dragons and Adulthood

Log line: Where once there was a dream world overrun by dragons, now there is a plethora of sexually frustrated individuals vying for the attention of a budding young woman.

Market Research: Since we are showing the movie on the Mary Washington campus, a movie about college students would be most relatable to our target audience. The main direction of the class is to discuss gender in film. This film is about a woman navigating the transition from naive girl to a mature adult and discovering what it means to be a grown woman in the modern world. Additionally, there are male characters confused as to why they are behaving the way they are towards this young woman, and thus exploring what it means to be masculine.

Major Scenes:

The movie opens to a scene with a young Leith(around 8 years old) pretending to be a warrior saving the world from vicious birds with the help of her army of friendly dragons. The scenes take place in a child’s bedroom or in a living room with stuffed animals as the supporting characters in her make-believe battle. There are several flashbacks to similar scenes throughout the movie.

There is a scene of Leith at a bar filled with men. There, she is hit on by two guys (Branden & Kayin) competing against each other for her phone number. The men go on to explain the reasons why Leith is a desireable target, why it is okay for them to get her number, and why their comically exaggerated displays of masculinity make them more desirable. As they defend their actions, Kayin is becoming less sure of himself and Brandon becomes more cocky in his answers. Leith gives her phone number to the confident Branden.

Once Branden has Leith’s phone number, stereotypes about the beginnings of relationships pop up (When is it acceptable to have sex? When do you have a second date? When do you make it official?)

After Branden and Leith have been dating awhile, more stereotypes pop up. When Leith confronts Brandon about this, he brings up how men are more interested in sex than relationships and how women want to trap men into marriage as evidenced by the wedding plans that women have planned before the relationship starts. The couple breaks up.

The final scene parallels the first. Leith is standing in a bar again after Brandon and her have ended their relationship. Leith is again surrounded by men in the bar but she turns all of the potential suitors down in order to have fun with her friends that are at the bar with her and to be herself.

Characters:

Leith — now in her 20s, is suffering an identity crisis; she is torn between the youthful, imaginative, vibrant child she was and the cynical, determined, scared young woman she has become. She is faced with fending off against quintessential masculinity in the form of potential suitors and fails, giving her phone number to Branden. Many of her interactions with the men, especially Branden, are mirrors of her playful youth when she would play with her stuffed animals (such as making peace treaties with the birds, communicating, and leading her allies).

Branden — the embodiment of traditional heterosexual masculinity. He is in his 20s.

Kayin — stands for modern or emerging masculinity where men can take on more traditionally effeminate characteristics. He still tries to fit the masculine mold though and loses to Branden when it comes to getting Leith’s number. He is in his 20s.

Themes:

The most noteworthy theme is the adherence to and fighting against traditional gender roles and stereotypes. Especially those in the modern digital age.

The dragons represent Leith’s inner strength and the birds represent traditional stereotypes.

Visuals: