“…and CUT! That’s a wrap folks. Well done guys, that even brought a tear to my eye,” the director shouts and then begins clapping. The applause ripples around the vast number of people involved in shooting this grim scene.
“Are you sad they went with such an emotional ending?” Alex turns to look at me, realising that the scene has affected us more than we thought it would. We’d read the script of course and knew well in advance this was how our story was going to end on the silver screen. At the time I had been stunned, it was completely unexpected. Seeing it acted out in front of us felt surreal and I knew it was fake blood on the floor, but the horror of it was still shocking. Even with the cameras and being privy to the unglamorous bit behind the scenes, it didn’t take that away.
When the diary I’d written—and upon which the film was based—was sent to a few agents, one of them began talking about possible film rights. I always assumed there had to be a book before that could happen, but in this case it was the other way around. Someone passed it to a contact and he showed it to a producer. Things happened very quickly. It hadn’t occurred to me that the film wouldn’t necessarily be a faithful representation of the events that happened—how naive am I? It seems the real ending was too ordinary, not enough impact. So it has become a work of fiction, loosely based on fact.
“Yes, and no. Yes, because I think our ending is uplifting and inspiring. On the other hand, I have to stand back and remember that it’s just a film and people will know that. Everything happens for a reason and I hope people will walk away wondering, ‘what if?’”
I swing myself around and into Alex’s arms, desperate to feel him close and wash away the negative thoughts from that last scene. He nestles his face into my neck, his lips warm against my skin. He smells citrusy.
“We’re so lucky,” he murmurs. “The guy gets his girl!”
“No Alex, it isn’t luck. We’ve been granted this gift because something extraordinary has happened. Something even destiny couldn’t foresee. We’ve been blessed.”
“Well, I never thought our story would end up on the big screen. It would have been nice to let the audience know we did it, though. Sometimes love can overcome the seemingly insurmountable. Or maybe, in our case, it’s all about knowing the right people,” his eyes glance upwards, his face sporting a mischievous grin.
“That’s one of the perks of marrying an angel—it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” I wink at him and he tilts his head back, erupting with laughter. Finally accepting that we’ve crossed a line.
Grabbing my hand, he gives it a loving squeeze, “Come on, let’s go home. It’s been a long, and emotional, day.”