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Justinio and Jolanda – the movie outline
Memo to Steven Spielberg
From David Simmonds
The plot summary below is better than a Shakespearean tragedy, You could make it into a movie bigger than Citizen Kane—and make yourself a bigger star than Orson Welles.
I await your prompt response.
Justinio is the first born-son of Pietro and Margherita. Pietro, now deceased, was a wealthy man who in mid-life entered politics and became ruler of the land of Canadensia. HIs operating slogan, derived from a strict Jesuitical education, was “reason over passion”; although he was sometimes inclined to play the game of politics at a less than cerebral level. Margherita was the opposite: life was about following your feelings, and love and passion trumped reason. The marriage, initially a fairytale, was not a happy one.
Nevertheless, Justinio enjoys an interesting childhood. He travels widely with his father meeting heads of state from around the world—even the feared cigar—chomping revolutionary Fidelio Castrato.
As a young man, he is briefly thrust back into the national limelight in his own right when he delivers a stirring eulogy at his father’s funeral and earlier comforting his parents at the funeral of his youngest brother, killed in a skiing accident.
After several false starts in adult life, including stints as a high school drama teacher and alehouse bouncer, he resolves to follow the example of his father and enter politics. On the basis of his good looks, pedigree and stated intention to do politics differently, he wins the leadership of his father’s old party. With little experience on the job, apart from winning a boxing match, he then takes on the wily leader of the ruling party and bests him in the general election, and becomes prime minister. “Canadensia is back,” he assures the world.
Justinio owes much of his success to his right hand man and lifelong best friend, Geraldo, whom he appoints as his chief of staff. In fact, some say Geraldo is the puppeteer and Justinio merely his puppet.
At the outset of his term, Justinio makes extravagant statements about the importance of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and operating a feminist administration. He recruits Jolanda, an accomplished Indigenous female, whom he puts in charge of administering justice. He also recruits Gianna, a doctor of high standing, whom he puts in charge of heathcare. Jolanda and Gianna work together on several matters and form a tight friendship.
One day, a business with its base in Justinio’s home town is caught offering bribes to secure foreign contracts. The company is charged with criminal offences and is prosecuted by Jolanda’s department. It convinces Justinio that its conviction will ruin its chances of obtaining future work in Canadensia, and that many people will lose their jobs as a result. The company wants to make use of a permitted form of agreement to make reparations that will not result in a criminal conviction. Justinio makes known his view that following such a course would be a good idea.
But the decision to make such a deal is not his to make. And a constitutional convention states that prosecutors must be independent decision-makers, free from interference. Jolanda has the power to stop the prosecution and order officials into such an agreement, if she puts the reasons for her decision on the public record; she makes a considered decision not to do so.
Justinio is not inclined to take no for an answer. He dispatches Geraldo and Michele (the head of government staff) to try to get Jolanda to change her mind, but she stands her ground—at one point warning Michele that his intervention is crossing a constitutional line.
Justinio subsequently reorganizes his lieutenants, and moves Jolanda to a position of lesser responsibility. Jolanda accepts the post with some reluctance, and pens an unusual teaser note defending her record. That triggers a major newspaper story stating that Jolanda views her demotion as punishment for not bending to Justinio’s wishes with respect to the company and the agreement.
Justinio calls the allegation false and says that Jolanda must have found his conduct appropriate because she has accepted the demotion. This prompts Jolanda to resign her new position the next day. Geraldo, sensing that he will be held accountable for the fiasco and wanting to preserve his friendship with Justinio, resigns his position as well.
Jolanda, Geraldo and Michele are then called before a legislative committee to testify about the brouhaha. Some members of the committee are annoyed by Michele’s testimony; he then retires, realizing he no longer has the confidence of all members.
Gianna, not satisfied that Justinio has been entirely forthright with the public, then resigns her position in solidarity with Jolanda, and states to a journalist that there is still more to be told about the affair.
Jolanda next reveals that she has kept a recording of her telephone conversation with Michele, which was made without his knowledge. Public opinion divides on the appropriateness of the move, and Justinio uses the moment to banish Jolanda and Gianna from his entourage.
The plot ends with the careers of Geraldo, Michele, Jolanda and Gianna in ruins and Justinio smelling a single rose stem while contemplating his fate at the hands of a disillusioned electorate. A portrait of his father similarly smelling a single rose looks down on him.
Memo From Steven Spielberg
To David Simmonds
Sorry, This is too over the top to make into a movie. Try pitching it as an opera instead.
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