Wscripted Inaugural Cannes Screenplay List Nominee
Vicious is represented by CAA.
Artistic Statement
Vicious is a film about the emotional and physical cost of taking ownership of one’s art. From 1973 to 1985 my parents lived in the Chelsea Hotel, directly above Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. On the evening she tragically died, they were home and completely unaware of the terror happening one floor below them. When they told me this story, my mind couldn’t help but wonder: what pushes an artist to the edge of reason? In what scenario does a creative soul become willing to kill for their art?
Vicious is a fictional exploration of these core questions, set in a scenario deeply personal to my family. Although my parents are not Jon and Nell, the world which surrounds these characters is deeply integral to my own personal history and the lives my parents led as struggling artists in 1970’s New York. This film is set almost entirely in one location: the Chelsea Hotel, which is as much a character as the characters themselves. The history of the Chelsea is built on the genius and insanity of the artists who once lived within its walls.
It is my goal to see this film through to its ultimate completion from script to screen. I believe Vicious is a film audiences need, as it speaks to the darkest parts of the human conscience and forces its viewers to question their own moral limits. Society is currently surviving in a fear-based political and creative climate. Vicious tackles what happens when those who fight to win at any cost succeed, and what terror is left for those who lose. I think this film would benefit enormously from a collaborative environment, where artists from every field of cinema could contribute to the script’s evolution and eventual production.
Vicious is a love letter to my parents, New York, the punk rock movement, and the tragic love of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. It’s an homage to a time when people bled for their art and asked the question artists to the present day can’t seem to answer: is the cost of being an artist worth the price?