“What do you need me to do?” I ask when the last person walks away.
“Have you heard about this movie?” he asks, not answering my question.
“Impenetrable. That’s the title and about as much as I know.”
He smiles, his dimple winking deeply in his cheek. “It’s been my pet project for years. An idea I had a few years ago when the bullying stories seemed to be the highlight of every news channel. I wanted to paint light on it with a different take.”
“Meaning?”
“It seemed to me everything we had heard about led us in one direction, which was obviously the negative. Nothing showed us what it was like for someone to go through such a terrible situation, and instead of drowning, they overcome and become someone better. They take the hate, the viciousness around them, and become, well … impenetrable to the harm others wish to cause.”
“So what you’re saying is instead of the bullied being influenced by those doing the bullying, they are closed off from their influence?”
He studies me. “Yes and no.”
“Well, that clears it up.” I laugh.
“Yes, they are influenced by it, at first, but the point is to show the audience that instead of tainting their future negatively, they thrive and become a better person because of it. I want to give hope to those who need to know life isn’t what others want for you, but what you want for yourself. Strength in the face of weakness.”
I frown, dissecting his words. “I’m guessing by the location that we’re dealing with high school age people here?”
“You would be right.”
“And you think someone at that age, without a wealth of maturity on their side, is capable of seeing past the hate that such an influential time in their lives would cause them and be strong instead of crumble?”
“The point is to show that someone, regardless of their age, can make the decision for themselves and thrive instead of fail when faced with adversity.”
“You’re hoping to change the way society as a whole looks at the challenges they’re faced in life?”
“Yeah. And give hope to those who need it.”
“Hope is a fickle word, Kane.”
“How so?”
I study him, thinking about the best way to explain something I know all too well about. “Hope isn’t always something people can understand, regardless of the picture you paint. More often than not, the promise of something better is more terrifying than the horrible situations life can throw your way. Sometimes, they just aren’t strong enough to believe in something so unpredictable. They aren’t capable of being or becoming impenetrable against life.”
He leans back in his chair and studies me in a way that makes me think he can see right through me. “You’re right, Willow, but I believe that by showing the audience you can overcome something as huge as this, it would give someone struggling a little bit of that so-called fickle hope and plant a seed of doubt that can grow into the knowledge that their future is their own. The influence of others only holds as much power as you let it.”
“That’s easy for someone to say when they probably haven’t had to struggle with a bully once in their lives,” I return. “How will you show that the hope is worth taking a chance on? Make the audience believe in something that isn’t always so easy to take a leap of faith on.”
“What is the one thing someone at rock bottom needs, Willow?” he asks; the seriousness in his tone makes me wonder if we’re even talking about his movie anymore.
“That depends. If they want to change, they would need a reason to climb up and rise above. If they aren’t at the point in their lives where they can see that a change is possible, well, then even the most impenetrable soul would be stomped further into the ground.”
He nods. “And if the path to change is something that is forced on them?”
I ponder his question. “Well, then, I guess they wouldn’t be past the influence of others, now would they?”
“Okay, that’s true, but just because someone makes the choice to be stronger doesn’t mean they have to do it alone, Willow. Our protagonist here is someone who has forever thought of herself as weak. The bullying did get to her, but the difference here, what makes her impenetrable to those trying to influence her future, is that she chose to take the hand reaching out to help her thrive. Using it as a shield, she made all their negativity into something that couldn’t influence her further. It protected her and, in turn, showed her what it’s like to live without fear and flourish instead of drown. In a way, I guess they are influenced by that hate, but instead of it turning into something that shapes their future in a negative light, they’re able to use it as motivation to be stronger.”