I’LL BE SEEING YOU
A man vows to bring his wife home from a nursing home in the midst of a deadly pandemic.
After reading Gary Howell’s script, I’ll Be Seeing You I was instantly reminded of this unforgettable line from a very well known and loved film…
I am nothing special…
There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten.
But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who’s ever lived.
I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me this has always been enough.
-- Duke/Noah Calhoun – The Notebook (2004)
The same beautiful sentiment shines through Gary Howell’s I’ll Be Seeing You, an unforgettable tale of love in the time of lockdown.
We open on a grizzled Henry, recently separated from his one true love, Annie.
At first glance we don’t know the reason for the couple’s separation but then we quickly discover Annie is gravely ill and in a nursing home.
One thing’s for sure though. Henry’s devotion to Annie is dogged. He’s certainly not going to let something like a virus come between him and the woman he loves.
And so he vows…
HENRY
Gonna bring you home, Annie.
Promise you that.
EXT. NURSING HOME – MORNING
Henry pulls his beat up Cadillac into a parking spot.
… proceeds to the entrance --
There’s just one problem…
As Henry tries to open the door to the nursing home for his regular visit, he discovers…
-- A sign in the middle of the door…
FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS,
NO VISITORS ALLOWED. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Henry’s shoulders droop. He shuffles back to the car.
He contemplates driving away, but then gets out and opens the trunk.
So, what’s Henry going to do?
First lockdown and now locked out from the love of his life?
What I will tell you is that this is a beautiful timeless love story. With its clever narrative running parallel to Henry serenading Annie with: I’ll Be Seeing You (a song made famous by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holliday, and the indomitable Jimmie Durante) writer Gary Howell knows exactly how to pull at an audience’s heartstrings, combining the perfect blend of sentimentality with realism in a tear-jerker that will stay with you long after reading.
Following in the tradition of such classics as: The Notebook, An Affair To Remember, Up, and The Fault In Our Stars, and for anyone who has ever fallen deeply in love, I’ll Be Seeing You tells a tale of the indefatigable power of enduring love.
FILMMAKERS: You’re going to swoon over this one. Just don’t let it be the one that got away.
* I’ll Be Seeing You tied for First Place, Writer’s Choice, Simply Scripts May, 2020 challenge – The Journal Of the Plague Year – stories real and imagined/inspired by the current pandemic.