In The Connecting Betrayal, screenwriter Vivianne Rosenberg crafts a gripping portrait of a lady teetering between previous traumas and current longings. Winner of the Finest Script Award for Drama on the Dallas Film Awards, the screenplay is each intimate and expansive — rooted in deeply private expertise but brimming with world relevance. Via Valerie, a lady confronting the invisible tremors of adoption, menopause, and digital deception, Rosenberg explores the slippery line between connection and betrayal. On this interview, the multilingual author and multicultural storyteller opens up in regards to the autobiographical threads behind the script, the psychology of household love became worry, and the braveness it takes — for each character and creator — to face the mirror of midlife transformation.
Valerie’s journey is rooted in questions of id and autonomy. How did you develop her emotional arc to replicate the complexities of midlife, grief, and self-discovery?
The hormonal adjustments that ladies expertise throughout menopause can result in self-doubt and a insecurity. Consequently, girls of their 50s could start to query their objective in life. My very own experiences with the complexities of a midlife disaster impressed the event of Valerie, a personality who spent her life with the one man she met in faculty. As we age, all of us face grief and loss by way of household and buddies, and Valerie’s journey displays this common expertise.
The script touches on adoption and the sensation of disconnection from one’s origins. How did you strategy the psychological nuance of Valerie’s childhood trauma in shaping her grownup choices?
The adoption of my eldest daughter by my second husband when she was simply six years outdated impressed the adoption theme in my script. She skilled a whirlwind of feelings – confusion, pleasure, and anger that I hadn’t sought her permission. Regardless of my efforts to create a secure and safe life for her and her siblings, she felt psychologically weak and couldn’t comprehend why her organic father had given her up. The childhood trauma of abandonment continues to have an effect on her even in maturity.
Equally, my character Valerie carries the deep scar of trauma into maturity. The silent affected by her previous shapes her, main her to hunt love, consideration, and want in ways in which finally lead her down a damaging path.
Themes of Betrayal & Household Dynamics: One of the intense dynamics within the script is between Valerie and her kids. What impressed the portrayal of a household that concurrently loves and fears for each other?
Valerie’s kids, accustomed to seeing their mom as a pillar of power, sweetness, and mind, have been deeply alarmed after they witnessed a stark transformation in her character. She grew to become argumentative, liable to outbursts, and appeared to have misplaced her common composure. This uncharacteristic conduct was a far cry from the mom they knew and beloved, and it instilled in them a rising sense of worry and fear for her well-being.
This intricate household dynamic, the place the roles have been reversed and the youngsters took on the accountability of caring for his or her getting older dad or mum, mirrors my very own experiences with their older father and our grownup kids. It highlights the complexities and challenges that come up when getting older dad or mum’s psychological or bodily well being deteriorates, and the troublesome choices that their grownup kids should make with a view to guarantee their security and well-being. The emotional toll on each the dad or mum and the youngsters could be immense, and the scenario can typically result in emotions of guilt, resentment, and helplessness.
The title, The Connecting Betrayal, is compelling. What does ‘connection’ imply on this context, and the way does it change into a pathway to betrayal?
Nice query!
Valerie’s life is marked by a sequence of betrayals, beginning with being deserted by her organic mom as an toddler. She is then adopted by two lesbian moms and grows up and not using a father determine. In faculty, she befriends Brinda, who later betrays her by having an affair with George. Lastly, Valerie falls in love with Luke, who seems to be utilizing an alias on social media. She finally discovers the reality and falls in love with a police officer from South Korea.
Social Media & Fashionable Relationships: The youthful man Valerie meets on-line serves as a catalyst for each romance and chaos. What message have been you hoping to convey about on-line intimacy and generational vulnerability?
Whereas it’s pleasant to attach with new individuals on social media platforms, it’s essential to take care of a degree of warning and keep away from oversharing private data or changing into emotionally invested in on-line relationships. Do not forget that not everybody on social media is who they declare to be, and a few could have ulterior motives. Think twice earlier than sharing delicate data or agreeing to satisfy somebody in particular person, and all the time prioritize your security and well-being.
How does the script replicate the stress between fashionable types of connection (like social media) and conventional household buildings?
My script explores the convenience of connecting with anybody by way of social media and the potential risks of being deceived or lured into dangerous conditions. It highlights the misperception that on-line interactions are secure because of the lack of bodily contact. Whereas conventional face-to-face conferences enable for a real evaluation of character, social media interactions can create a false sense of safety. The script additionally touches on the challenges of navigating on-line relationships inside immigrant household buildings, the place communication could also be restricted, and conventional household buildings, the place on-line interactions could also be considered as taboo.
Psychological & Legal Layers: The intersection of non-public trauma and worldwide crime is a daring narrative selection. What led you to mix psychological drama with a worldwide thriller construction?
Lifelike fiction, with its relatable characters and conditions, turns into extra participating when an surprising twist is launched. This shock component elevates pressure, provides complexity, and permits the narrative to discover deeper themes, making the story much less predictable and extra thought-provoking.
Valerie is compelled right into a psychiatric analysis by her kids — a deeply unsettling and morally advanced act. How did you need audiences to really feel about this breach of autonomy?
I wished my viewers to really feel emotional, and that in the event that they know somebody they take care of who wants assist, they’ll have the braveness to intervene. Valerie’s grownup kids knew their mom wasn’t herself, and he or she was taking place the flawed path. They intervene for good causes. And it highlights the act of intervening, have an intervention out of affection and respect, for his or her mom’s general well-being.
Inventive Course of & Private Voice: You’ve spoken about drawing out of your life experiences. Have been there particular feelings or recollections that discovered their approach into Valerie’s story?
The inspiration of my writing, and Valerie’s character arc particularly, is constructed alone emotionally scarring experiences with psychological sickness, alcoholism, intercourse dependancy, and suicide.
As a multilingual author with a multicultural background, how does your id form the sorts of tales you select to inform — and the voices you middle?
My humble beginnings and upbringing abroad had a big impression on my early id formation. Touring from the Philippines to San Francisco as a younger youngster, coupled with an immersion in music, artwork, meals and literature from the ’60s to the ’90s, fueled my creativeness and formed my worldview. I grew to become a dreamer, consumed by ideas of my aspirations, the individuals I’d encounter, and the locations I’d go to. These experiences instilled in me a powerful sense of self-expectation and ambition from a younger age.
