You’ve heard of Carlos Saura’s Tango, Sally Potter’s The Tango Lesson, and Robert Duvall’s Assassination Tango. What’s next?
Jackie Stahl’s (that’s me!) Near Death Tango.
I wrote this dramatic comedy to be like a milonga rhythm: challenging, yet fun. And it just made it into the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival!
The Plot
Liz Miller is a painfully generic, forty year old secretary from Levittown, PA. There’s nothing special about her bland existence, except for her stunning dreams of Argentine tango and her passionate drive to somehow fill her wanting heart. When she fails to revive her dull marriage and finds jarring disappointments in the tango world, she repairs her broken spirit by committing an unusual crime of passion.
Of course, she learns that crime doesn’t pay, but also zeros in on a key challenge in life. Still reeling from her crime of passion, she says, “A lot can happen in a minute. You just have to keep yourself alive and awake long enough to get to that one minute that changes your life forever.”
I, personally, work daily to stay “alive and awake,” and although I can fail miserably at it, my eyes are continually re-opened by the practice of dancing and writing. Both push me to dig deep and to look beyond myself. And Near Death Tango has felt like a delightful and unexpected reward for all this work!
Nominations for Near Death Tango
Winner of Hollywoodscript.com’s April 2008 Contest
Quarterfinalist in the 2008 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards.
Craig Kellem, screenwriting consultant and former Development Executive at 20th Century Fox TV and Universal Studios, calls it “American Beauty-esque.” He says:
This is a rich, moving screenplay with very strong dialogue, characters that jump off the page and lots of deep, moody themes… [It] has that special something that we always look for but cannot usually find. A rare combination of sad, funny along with smart, hip and deep, ever so honest, relatable, and tragically hilarious… You’ll love this material. Will make an incredible film.
Near Death Tango is currently represented by Jim Kellem at JKA Talent and Literary Agency.
Get the Inside Scoop!
I’d love for any tango lover to read, enjoy, and even relate to my script! If you’re thrilled with my writing, take it one step further and vote for Near Death Tango in the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival. But first…
How to Vote:
- Register for free on phillyscreenplay.bside.com
- Once you are registered, search for Near Death Tango
- Download and read my script
- Rate it!
In order for your vote to count, you’ll need to review another script in addition to mine. A little time consuming, I know, but it’s well worth it and I’d be eternally grateful!
There are a couple of other important voting rules, so please read the short list of rules before doing your reviews.
If you have trouble navigating the website, email me and I’ll walk you through it. I’ll keep you posted with my progress in the festival, as well as in the screenwriter’s world.
Thanks for reading!
About the Author: Jackie Stahl has a background in gymnastics and loves to swing dance! Jackie has taught tango for 7 years and has developed a solo practice series called Tango Libre that improves flexibility, balance, posture, strength, musicality, and quality of movement.
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{ 23 tango-induced comments… read them, love them, and add your 2 cents! }
I read this screen play and was completely engaged the entire time. SO worth reading!!! Please take a look if you have the time. You wont be sorry.
Jackie,
I have a super-short attention span and a hard time reading for long periods of time, but I READ YOUR SCREENPLAY IN ONE SITTING! The character development was gradual and intriguing, and strange Fred had me laughing to myself on more than one occasion.
What do these terms mean?
1. (O.S.)
2. INT.
3. EXT.
4. CONTINUOUS
Well done, Jackie!
Hi Pete,
I’m so happy you liked my screenplay! I had a lot of fun with Strange Fred. Glad he made you laugh, too!
You asked about some of the script abbreviations/terms. (OS) means “Off Screen.” INT. means “Interior” or inside. EXT. means “EXTERIOR” or outside.
CONTINUOUS means that, even though we’ve moved to a new scene because we have a location change, the time of the new scene is immediately after the previous scene.
Thanks so much for reading! And for posting my article in your blog!
Jackie
I too read “Near Death Tango” in one sitting, I was so engaged. What fun and suspense!
A wonderful screenplay.
Something about the mysterious Argentine passion is sure to be a winner Jackie.
Not unless we all vote for Near Death Tango on the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival website
I’m there now.
Go Jackie!
I will totally download your script. Can’t wait to read it, Jackie!
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it!
Jackie
Congratulations Jackie,
Can’t wait to read the download script.
~ Cynthia and Henry
Hi Cynthia and Henry,
Great to hear from you! And thanks for reading my script! Looking forward to your impressions of it!
Hope all is well with you!
Jackie
Dear Jackie,
I also read it in one sitting and was moved to tears by this screenplay.
First impressions:
Your characters are witty and funny and struggle with the feeling of life and death. It’s the whole package! As consistent as the tango presence is, love runs through your story. Your description of Argentine tango in (and as) both reality and fantasy, feels like the tango itself: aggressive with layers of complexity, turns, dips, unpredictable surprises.
I was struck by a notion that in your story the tango, that is, the dance, the idea, the tango world, runs a parallel track to Liz Miller’s inner world, just as it inspires Liz’s death and life choices. One of the nicest things about your screenplay is that it isn’t overly serious. I will read another screenplay and vote for you.
I want to see this movie!
Yours truly,
Anne
Hello Anne,
I really appreciated your perceptive response to my script. You said that “love runs through your story.” I think you are right. I LOVED writing this story, and I think of it as a love story. Of course, it’s not boy meets girl; it’s what happens long after boy meets girl. It’s about all kinds of love, in many phases. And I really hope it’s funny, at least some of the time. I don’t like being “overly serious;” that’s too taxing!
And yes, Liz’s fantasy of tango keeps her going. It makes her dull life seem intolerable and forces her to make changes. Then, the reality of tango (both the pleasant and unpleasant) starts poking little holes in her fantasy; and this, I feel, is one of the places where the story gets interesting.
Thanks for your plan to vote on my script in the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival! Unfortunately, the festival website, where you would vote (and also vote on one other script) is not working right now. I will be sure to let you know when the site is working so that you can vote.
Thanks so much for reading!
Jackie
Jackie, awesome screenplay!! I think most of us can relate to Liz on many levels- the feeling of wanting to escape a life you have to become who you are meant to be and taking the steps to accomplish it; Bob,her husband, had a lack of curiosity for life outside their living room and that tv. Sure he lusted for her but he didn’t “GET” who she was. Through tango she was able to find a passion that reignited her sense of adventure and we can all find commonality in that theme. A must read!
Hi Maria,
Mucho thanks for your comments!! I hope this screenplay encourages people to escape the mundane and to find a more real, more adventurous, and more “alive” self. If Liz can do it, anyone can!
Jackie
Hi Everyone,
Here’s an important update: The PHILADELPHIA SCREENPLAY FESTIVAL WEBSITE IS CURRENTLY DOWN. If you try to go onto the site attempting to vote for my script, you will be told that the site is “temporarily unavailable.” I am communicating with the organizers to find out when the site will be working again. I’ll let everyone know when it’s up and running.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, since Pete posted my article in The Tango Notebook, I have received many comments about Near Death Tango — from this blog, e-mails, phone calls, and live conversations! The responses so far have been tremendously useful and gratifying to me.
Thank you.
Jackie
Finally! A screenplay with originality, sensitivity, and gut-busting wit. I think we all have felt like Liz – stuck in a life and a relationship that isn’t satisfying. I particularly love how there aren’t easy answers in this story; no man or miracle comes to save the heroine from her life. Liz has to figure out how to shake her world up, and boy, does she!
Congratulations on creating a piece of art that shines with integrity, hope and humour. I truly hope this screenplay gets the recognition it deserves.
Hi Shirley,
Your review “shines” with your own wonderful writing abilities! Thank you!
Jackie
Great story!! I was able to picture the whole thing and was able to feel the sadness of the characters. Can’t wait to see it on a screen.
Hello Eileen,
I’m sending a belated thank you for taking the time to read my script. (I thought for sure that I replied to your post, but sometimes life gets confusing!) I’m so glad that you liked the story, and I really appreciate your positive feedback.
Many thanks,
Jackie
I felt for Liz with her unending lackluster days and nights. She seems paralyzed, dead already… Just when I was ready to start shoveling the earth on her, she gives me some hope about her determination and then moves on to becoming a powerful force in her own destiny– which you don’t see coming. It happens slowly in the same way that transitions do it real life. Very gentle story about a persons capacity to evolve. Pretty inspiring stuff! This was great!
ohhhh!! So glad I got some time to curl up and read your screenplay! It was a great story – a great read – and something I can definitely identify with. I love “meeting” new people/characters and feeling for them. I was really cheering for Liz. You certainly have a talent!
Hello Denice,
Please forgive me for not responding to your post sooner. (In fact, I thought that I did, but sometimes I can be spacey!) I’m so glad you “curled up” with my screenplay partly because I’m so happy to get your enthusiastic response! Very encouraging! And much appreciated!
Many Thanks,
Jackie
A big THANK YOU to the many people who have read my screenplay, Near Death Tango, and given me such great feedback! And another big THANK YOU to everyone who has attempted to vote for it in the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival!
The festival website has been down for over a month, but THE SITE IS FINALLY WORKING.
And Near Death Tango is in the lead!
But as they say, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” and the competition is tough.
So if you’d like to vote, please do! You can vote from now until December 31st.
How to Vote in the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival:
1. Register for free on phillyscreenplay.bside.com
2. Once you are registered, click on the word “films” near the top of the web page (under the lavender bar).
3. A “Films List” will appear. Near Death Tango is on page 2 of this list.
4. Click on the Near Death Tango button to review and rate the script.
(You can download the script from this page as well.)
Important Voting Rules:
1. In order for your vote to count, you’ll need to review another script in addition to mine. A little time consuming, I know, but I’d be eternally grateful!
2. VOTER BIAS RULE: Your votes will NOT count if you are biased (for example, if you vote 5 stars on one screenplay and 1 star on all the others).
3. You may NOT vote on any contestant’s screenplay more than once. If you do so, you will be disqualified.
4. VOTING ENDS ON DECEMBER 31, 2009, 11:59pm.
If you have trouble navigating the festival website, please email me at tangoforward@gmail.com and I’ll help you with it.
Best Wishes,
Jackie Stahl