Essay Questions

How is the character of Donald used to move Charlie's journey forward?

Charlie is, by nature, neurotic. He's a craftsman, and incredibly intelligent and talented as a writer. So, when his twin brother Donald moves in with him and begins taking Robert McKee's screenwriting class to write his own spec script it creates instant conflict between the characters. Donald is eternally optimistic, while Charlie is constantly doubtful. Donald is a smooth talker with people, women, and Charlie not at all. Life seems to come easy for Donald and Charlie appears to take the brunt of the oppression, but he does this by choice. The very things that cause Charlie to butt heads with his brother are the very things that he needs in his life: a sense of freedom and exploration, a lack of regard for how things "must" be done and an simplicity to how he lives his life. We'd like to say that Charlie becomes more like Donald after Donald's death, which may be true; but we also see the death of Donald is directly linked to his brother's can't let go of anxiety and worry and fear attitude. The two men, who represent different ideas impose upon each other. For Donald, the imposition is permanent.

How does Donald get to the point to be able to sell his spec script for 6-7 figures?

Donald has recently moved in with his brother, Charlie who is a successful screenwriter. Donald wants to write movies too. So, he signs up for Robert McKee's screenwriting workshop where he believes he has been given the key to screenwriting: structure. Though Donald's ideas are daft to Charlie, he perseveres and continues to write. And, once his screenplay is finished it sells instantly. This causes Charlie, the seasoned pro, to head to New York for McKee's workshop.

How did the concept for this film come about?

Charlie Kaufman was enlisted to write an adaptation of Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief. In the process of attempting to do so, he ran head-on into writer's block. He couldn't find the story in the book, and finally found a breakthrough when he began to write the screenplay based upon his writer's block. When he combined this with elements of the book, the full screenplay came together which would go on to become the final film version of Adaptation.