Marios Stilianakis is a Greek-American author, playwright, screenwriter, and film and stage director. He has written and directed the critically acclaimed stage play Water (produced in Hollywood in 2010 and now in development in New York and as a screenplay adaptation). Marios is the author of two novels (one of which became a best seller in Europe), numerous short stories and a popular TV series entitled The Students (broadcast in Europe). In the U.S., he has written and directed three films and a number of music videos.
I grew up watching Greek tragedies. Performed at the ancient theaters of Herodes Atticus, Kitio and Epidaurus. But whenever I had the chance, I sneaked into movie theaters to watch thrillers. Comedies. Romances. Horrors.
I left the ancient theaters feeling too heavy-hearted and the movie theaters feeling slightly unfulfilled.
Ever since I started writing, whether it was for TV, for the theater, for the big screen, whether it was lyrics or prose, I did so with the intent of combining entertainment with a sense of consequence – of consequence to myself and to the audience.
“Failing Jean” is a thriller, a horror, a romance and a comedy – all of it striving for consequence. It is written to reflect life in a more dramatic manner and, as such, to entertain and leave some sort of consequence behind – in both the heart and the mind. For a good thriller does not only have to be two hours of manufactured entertainment. It can also aim at giving rise to some sort of thought process of consequential effect: A boy coming from an unconventional home. A rich girl who feels like she doesn’t belong. The power of revenge and the power of taming it. The dimension of human evil and the consequence of its roots. Friendship. Love. Redemption. Right and wrong…
Aspiring to offer audiences a balance between entertainment and food for the mind is no simple task. My hope is that with “Failing Jean,” I have somewhat succeeded in doing so.