Luna Moth: A Commentary

My screenplay portfolio consists of one script, ‘Luna Moth’s Cocoon.’ The plot is centered around a young girl, Lainey Azlin who is experiencing grief, different ways of coping, and the life that comes after. She is constantly in her own head, reliving memories, whether she want to or not, or daydreaming she is far away, detaching herself from the reality she finds herself in. Escaping through fantasy is her coping mechanism, although not referred to in the text, but the excessive maladaptive daydreaming is named ‘Brambling.’ This was originally the screenplay’s title when the idea first came to me, it is purposely not supposed to make much sense, but the word just fits. It is like the ‘Cocoon’ idea, inspired by nature’s way of hiding. ‘Brambling’ can be used as a verb, to go ‘brambling,’ in this sense would be to escape, to hide away from reality either through oversleeping, or constant maladaptive daydreaming. Lainey Azlin is my protagonist’s first name, however she goes by her alias ‘Luna Moth,’ as she constructs a whole new reality for herself, she also reconstructs her identity, name and appearance. I decided I wanted her to have a different name she gives herself after reading Greta Gerwig’s script: ‘Ladybird’ (2017). This is a coming-of-age plot, a young girl with a complicated relationship with her mother, who is striving to make herself something. She renames herself and is in touch with her theatrical side. Greta Gerwig’s screenwriting is something I turned to immediately, she can write complex characters that pull on your heartstrings so effortlessly.

The name ‘Azlin,’ was used as a hint towards her detachment for reality, meaning ‘dream,’ or ‘night vision,’ which encapsulates this character, as she almost ‘suffers,’ with her visions, they are so vivid and draining. This is mirrored with her grief, as unhappy memories and feelings of pain resurface like there’s no tomorrow. I made use of mirroring quite frequently in this script, Luna Moth is compared to her mother, Emma Azlin in many ways. Firstly, they share the same eye colour, which can be said reflects the soul. The castle-ruin scene shows they both have a competitive, brave and adventurous side to them. The flashback scenes are used to create an emotional response from the audience, whilst also painting the relationship Luna Moth had with her mother, the audience can see the impact of her loss. No wonder she wants to escape in her head, that’s where all her happy memories are. However, the memories can turn on her. Through coping mechanisms such as hyper-fixating on fantasy stories, we learn that one of Luna Moth’s comforts has a melancholic origin story. She decides to turn this bad memory off, informing the audience through direct address to the camera that she will not touch on that, ‘not yet.’ This leads the audience to prepare for later in the screenplay, when we can learn of her mother’s tragic death more. I hint towards this with the repeated use of smoking, the focus on ‘Smoking causes cancer,’ and Aunt Iris’ response to the crow in the back garden in Scene 18.

Grief is a powerful and universal human experience that has been explored in numerous screenplays across various genres. When effectively portrayed, it can resonate with audiences on a deep, emotional level and provide a lens through which characters confront loss and navigate the complexities of mourning. Relatable characters are what audiences are looking for. Pity goes hand in hand with a heartfelt response to a character on screen.

Realism is important in screenwriting, so I drew from raw, personal experiences to heighten the effects my character gives to the audience. Looking into the ugly parts of grief, the things we do that nobody likes to admit is close to the screenplay ‘Fleabag,’ by Phoebe Waller- Bridge. This script inspired my take on realism, Fleabag often surprises but comforts you with normal, human thoughts or responses to traumatic events. The structure also inspired how I set out mine; non-linear structures allow us to delve into the past and find things out about characters quickly, showing what is important to them. Luna Moth’s repeated memory of wearing tiger face-paint means something to her. The audience must figure out what, is it a form of childhood comfort, is it another use of animal imagery to relate to? We find out she relates this to her mother in Scene 17.

Characters experiencing grief often undergo significant growth, too. The moth symbol is used to represent many things, the death of her younger self, the way grief has transformed her, and the way she transforms herself and the world around her when she goes ‘brambling.’

Continually, "Fleabag" utilises visual storytelling in a way I wanted to replicate. The direct address to the audience helps convey emotions and thoughts that may not be explicitly stated in the dialogue. Luna Moth speaks in a voiceover for most of this part in the script. She is talking to the audience, to you. To herself. Anything that comforts her, which is seen with Fleabag. Perhaps Fleabag speaks to the camera and pretends it is her late mother, or late best friend. She deals with grief in rather indirect ways; however, Luna Moth differs as she is rather direct to the audience about what has happened. She explains her ways of escaping, however, will she ever admit how bad it gets? The visual elements add depth to the characters and enhance the overall storytelling experience.

Further, my portfolio inly consisting of one script does limit me somewhat, as it is not a broad example of my creativity. This is similar to the genre of my script, stories about grief can often be actively ignored, as it may delve into dark topics some viewers do not want to consume. Grief is experienced by everyone, but as much as I want it to be, it cannot be understood by every viewer.