An exciting new musical project

Director Stuart Murdoch Screenwriters Stuart Murdoch

God Help The Girl builds on from a musical project by Stuart Murdoch (of Belle and Sebastian fame) that resulted in a set of EPs and an album of the same name in 2009. The tracks introduce the story of Eve, a girl with much promise and a bright future, whose life falls apart – culminating with a long stay in hospital. It is an album with a sad story to tell, yet does so in a mind-numbingly beautiful manner. Whilst based on Stuart’s band, the songs have an extra punch, making them sound wonderful. Whether this is thanks to the orchestra that Stuart makes excellent use of, or the outstanding voices of Catherine Ireton et al., is left to personal choice.

Following the releases, Stuart joins with Barry Mendel, who produced the six-time Academy Award-nominated The Sixth Sense, to release a film, explaining what happens to Eve after her departure from hospital. Stuart always knew there was a story to tell with God Help The Girl – he started writing the screenplay in 2006.

Beyond what we learn from the music, plot details are thin on the ground. However, the character profiles carry on where the album left off, and give us a glimpse into what we can expect to see when the film is released. The story is set in Glasgow around Eve and two new characters, James and Cassie, in what the promotional videos call “the story of a better summer”. In other words, this is the tale of three people whose lives revolve around music.

Eve, as a character, is a wreck. Overwhelmed by the pressure of a University education for which she has little regard, she becomes insular, isolated from her parents and friends, and anorexic. Her parents, horrified, send her to hospital. It is here that the film picks up, focusing on how she builds herself back through music. It is highly likely that this is after Eve runs off after a hospital football match – this is where the story in the album ends.

James is also of poor health, but appears to have more life in his soul than Eve did when she was at hospital. An EP suggests that Eve is fond of James (whom she met at the end of the story in the album), and like Eve, James is someone who has music flowing through his veins. This is not the only thing they have in common – his health problems also appear to be of the mental type, with the character profile describing him as spending as much time as possible in his “safety zone”, a “small bedsit room”.

Cassie, on the other hand, is vastly different to the other two characters. Her profile describes her as “posh”, living in a castle; yet also having a bubbly personality. Her connection to the others is seen at the start of the film – being taught the guitar by James in a “stilted”, “professional” relationship, while the song ‘I’ll Have To Dance With Cassie’ may give some suggestion as to her standing with Eve! With that said, her lack of friends (the suggestion is due to her awkward posh background) results in her spending the majority of her time with the others.

The film is to be recorded this year in Glasgow with Stuart in the director’s chair. Once casting is complete and funding attained, filming can begin in earnest, with a release expected in 2013. The speed of the production is aided by the existence of a completed score and script – Stuart has been working on this project since songs came to his head in 2003.

The film is funded by a combination of private and public funding, with a target of $3m set. The Channel 4 Alpha Fund has contributed, with some “financially blessed individuals” worldwide making their own private contributions. One of the more interesting funding mechanisms that the team have undertaken is through use of Kickstarter – a website where people pledge to a project and receive gifts in return.

Subject to the goal of $100,000 being met, pledgers can expect a wide variety of strange and exciting prizes, including pieces of the set, one-of-a-kind rarities, and appearances in the film. This is in addition to other fan-led initiatives, such as website visitors suggesting people to be considered for casting.

God Help The Girl is looking to be a particularly exciting film, even if we only know little of the storyline at the moment. The plot that we have seen is deep and intriguing, and the musical accompaniment from the earlier releases only helps to develop it further, as well as build anticipation of an excellent soundtrack. Definitely a film to keep an eye on as it develops further this year!