LOG LINE
A small town innocent is lured to the big shitty on a quest to save his first love from the clutches of a ruthless and seemingly all powerful 'master of ceremonies'. Before long his real challenge becomes whether or not he can save himself, let alone anyone else.

CODA
The film has all the Noir ingredients but perhaps not in their usual form. The 'femme fatale' isn't a person but a dream, 'The Dream' (and living it) to be precise. Neither is the principal villain a character, it is the status quo, the way we're living, the aspirations we succumb to.

While there are clearly defined 'bad guy' characters, in reality, it's the Game, the status quo, the system (or those who succumb to joining because they've failed to beat it).

Traditionally the Noir 'hero' is a flawed, amoral character, street wise, 'war torn' but revealing a heart of gold and (ultimately) an unimpeachable integrity. This film tells the story of how such a Noir hero is created.

The film also ends on a note of realistic hope with our 'hero' stronger, wiser and understanding that his challenge, his fight is for survival not victory. That this fight demands change, has obstacles to overcome and even compromises to make.

Additionally, there is an underlying allusion running through the script to a more ethereal or esoteric reading, that his challenge is both physical and 'spiritual' or moral.

Having said this, I don't want to over intellectualise the film. It's a passionate, visceral, very visual, psychologically tense and heart rending Noir thriller. Esoteric pulp fiction...

 

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Believing his first and true love, Rachel, is now lost and in trouble, Tyler comes to London on a quest to find her. His only leads when he arrives are Sarah, working PR on the club circuit, and the grotty Kings Cross bedsit Rachel where used to live.

Rachel, Sarah and Mary, Rachel's sister, came to London together to follow their dreams of adventure and fortune and maybe even fame. Time and circumstance has taken its toll on each of them and not least on their friendship.

Tyler moves into Rachel's old bedsit. He pins all his old photos along with letters, and postcards she sent from London on a wall. The wall begins to look like either a police investigation or a stalker's obsession.

Tyler meets Sarah who's offered to find him work. She takes him to a nightclub, The Garden, to meet with the manager. Seemingly by chance, Tyler is spotted by an important looking man in his fifties, Fisher, who takes an immediate shine to Tyler and offers him work.

Tyler recognises Fisher from a photo and newspaper cutting Rachel had sent. He figures that getting close to Fisher is a good start towards finding Rachel. He thinks it a stroke of luck.

Later the same night, on his way home, Tyler bumps into Mary, but they don't have much time to talk before Tyler's brutally beaten by a sharp and stylishly suited man. Mary sits with Tyler while he waits to be discharged from A&E.

Time and circumstance haven't been good to her, she looks rough. She explains that Tyler's attacker, Shepherd, was just doing his job, he was just looking out for her. Mary's a junkie and street whore and Shepherd's her Pimp.

The urgency of his quest hits Tyler hard. He wonders he may be out of his depth and before long begins to realise he doesn't know even the half of it. Mary isn't keen to talk, and less keen to talk about Rachel. The best advise she's got for Tyler is that he “fuck off home”.

Sarah's not keen on talking about Rachel either. She seems to just want to put the past behind her so she can et on with her future. She does tell him that she's sure Rachel's fine, that if she wanted to be found, it wouldn't be hard. As far as she's concerned, Rachel's moved on.

Despite the lack of help or even support. Tyler's certain he's on track and as soon as he starts working for Fisher, the trail will heat up.

The trail quickly heats up but not in the way Tyler expects. He wakes one morning to the sound of his door being kicked in and an unexpected visit from Shepherd. But Shepherd's come in peace, with coffee. It turns out they have mutual friends and Shepherd's been sent to look out Tyler. If needs be, 'to take care of him'.

Tyler's not so sure he wants Shepherd's help and his fears are confirmed when, over lunch, the world around him flips over and inside out and becomes a nightmare of visions of psychedelic mayhem. The coffee was spiked with LSD.

On the upside, Tyler's rescued from madness by a mysterious Japanese Girl who's already taken a liking to him. It's the start of a profound connection, more than an affair, an irresistible force of nature. Even despite Tyler's concerns about needing to be true and faithful to Rachel.

It's the Japanese Girl who introduces the story of Hassan Sabbah, his Hashishan and The Garden of Earthly Delights. As she tells the story, in three parts, it becomes more and more apparent that the story isn't just an ancient legend. It's a modern truth. Tyler's journey, his quest, leads him into a modern Garden of Earthly Delights, he's given a modern taste of paradise with the promise there is more to come.

But the Japanese Girl's story comes with a warning, the Garden comes at a price. According to the legend, the Hashishan paid for the promise of eternal paradise with their lives. What price will Tyler be asked to pay for his dream of paradise, for Rachel? And what price are the rest of us paying for the promise of paradise we've succumbed to?

Lured into a world most of us only dream of Tyler's given a choice to stay or go. To have his dream and live in Fisher's paradise or... take his chances and find his own dream, make his own paradise. Whichever he decides, there's a price to be paid. We are all Hashishan.

The Hanging Garden - Nothing Is True: Everything Is Permissible

The Script Factory (UK) review of the script;

'rare and ambitiously original in style, feel and tone... the writer has successfully drawn a man on a mission... a nightmarish sense of a man groping for answers in a violent and confusing world... the use of the legend of Hassan Sabbah as a metaphor is wonderfully atmospheric'.