After hearing about a new ?cancer? that?s targeting people like him, a gay kids reality becomes much scarier than fiction in 1982 small town Indiana. Based on actual events, ten-year-old Billy joins a fundamental Baptist Church to avoid ?God?s Punishment? and try to pray away the feelings for his fourth grade crush but, instead, finds himself fighting for his young life which lies the hands of a church, community, and family that doesn?t want him to exist.
Rick1973Penpusher
After hearing about a new ?cancer? that?s targeting people like him, a gay kids reality becomes much scarier than fiction in 1982 small town Indiana. Based on actual events, ten-year-old Billy joins a fundamental Baptist Church to avoid ?God?s Punishment? and try to pray away the feelings for his fourth grade crush but, instead, finds himself fighting for his young life which lies the hands of a church, community, and family that doesn?t want him to exist.
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I can see two stories here — the one about ?cancer? targeting people like him, & the other in which he joins the Church to pray away feelings for his school crush.
I’d suggest to build on one of them, macro-plan in terms of the three act
Act 1, Billy gets infatuated over his classmate.
Act 2A, How his presence helps him find his true self (Then they are caught in midpoint reversal)
Act 2B, All that could go wrong in their lives, internally and externally. & Act 3 denouement
I like how a kid in ’82 could be influenced by the social stigma of discovering his true self. That’s a worthy emotional center. Good Luck!!
PS. Drop the name. Spelling out his ‘Role’ works
Coming of age in the early 80’s, a gay boy joins a fundamentalist church to escape god’s punishment — AIDS — by overcoming his sexual orientation.
(25 words)
Coming of age would be the inciting incident in that the boy is on the cusp of puberty; consequently,? the hormones are kicking? in, accelerating the rpm’s of his sex drive to the red line — and beyond.? His objective goal is to overcome his sexual orientation.
Which, in this case, is a false goal because it is a negation of the character’s true self .? And, of course, is impossible to attain.? It’s a goal guaranteed to created plenty of internal conflict and guilt? as well as external conflict and rejection on the part of any peers, preachers and parents to whom he confesses or who? discover his orientation.
My only caveat is that internal conflict is a challenge to dramatize in film because it’s a visual medium which means that internal conflict has to be externalized, shown, not just talked about or alluded to.? Otherwise, the premise promises??the prospect of a strong character arc, a compelling psychological journey from renunciation to acceptance.
fwiw
During the 80?s AIDS epidemic a young gay boy joins a fundamentalist church to pray his way to safety.
The reader will need some knowledge of the era.
As a TV logline
The ongoing struggles of a young gay man who joins a church to escape AIDS but is faced with bigotry and hatred which he is asked to support.