The Sad Story of “Christine”
By Skip Sheffield
“If it bleeds, it leads” was the cynical rallying call of
news outlets in the 1970s.
To a great extent it remains true today. That’s what makes
the small, independent feature “Christine” so relevant today.
Opening an exclusive engagement at FAU’s Living Room
Theaters Nov. 18, “Christine” is not to be confused with Stephen King’s
demon-possessed Plymouth. It is about a very real and very tragic figure named
Christine Chubbuck. Chubbuck shocked the nation when she committed suicide live
on the air on July 15, 1974 at a small television station in Sarasota, Florida.
Christine is played by British actress Rebecca Hall,
daughter of Royal Shakespeare Company founder Peter Hall.
Screenwriter Craig Shilowich has written a slightly
fictionalized account of the real events that led up to Christine’s drastic
action, directed by Antonio Campos. She had failed to progress at a couple of
previous stations, and now she finds herself relegated to a tiny market at a
station ruled by a gruff, tyrannical manager (Tracey Letts). Christine wanted
to do stories of substance and depth. Mike, her boss, wanted her to do
crowd-pleasing human interest stories.
Though Christine is co-anchor at tiny WZRB with handsome
George Ryan (Michael C. Hall), she yearns to return to a larger market. To make
matters worse, at age 29 she lives with her mom Peg (J. Cameron Smith), who
often treats her like a child. To make matters even worse, she is still a
virgin and has never had a real boyfriend, though she clearly has a crush on
handsome George. When George finally asks her to dinner it is not what she
expected. Worse, he drops the bombshell he has been picked up by a station in
Baltimore. Worse still, he is taking the pretty sports girl with him instead of
Christine.
Depression is a terrible thing. Christine struggled with it
all her life. Choosing the highly volatile, insecure career of TV newscaster
just made matters worse. Rebecca Hall does a masterful job depicting the anger,
frustration and sadness that led Christine to her fate. Ironically, Sarasota
made national news. Christine’s character has been cited as partial inspiration
for the movie “Network,” and continues to be a subject of fascination. In
death, Christine Chubbuck achieved the fame she never realized in life.
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