the story.
Frank and Kathy are baby boomer parents; Sadie & Kaitlin are their millennial daughters. Frank is screaming towards a mid-life crisis. Kathy pretends she’s happy and doesn’t drink that much wine. Sadie is the good child; convinced her first and only boyfriend is the one to marry. Kaitlin is the rebel, the entertainer; the truth teller who will not filter how she’s feeling.
Over three days, with much drama and humor, this crap-happy family careens and skids straight towards a fateful anniversary. On the way, they realize they are more alike than they know.
THE CONCEPT.
The concept behind “King of Knives” came from my own mid-life crises. Although Frank’s experiences do not match mine, they most definitely reflect the Baby Boomer angst and the wry humor that comes from staring down the rear end of one’s life. Recently the term “quarter-life crises” was applied to millennials who can also experience the same self-doubt and questioning of what their future really holds. Thus was born the Benetto family of Frank and Kathy and Kaitlin and Sadie.
The award-winning screenwriter Lindsay Joy and I spent nearly two years on what was first entitled “The Rot” (as in the psychological gunk that accumulates in our psyches as we age). But I freely admitted the title sounded too much like a slasher film.
One day, Lindsay’s newest draft had the title “King of Knives” on it. At first I was puzzled, then it became perfectly clear and I smiled. It was based off a Tarot Card called “King of Swords” but “Knives” had a more modern ring to it. And here’s the jist: Sometimes a mid-life or quarter-life crises brings on seemingly risky behavior that neither family nor friends would expect of you. It’s like, “My life is going faster and faster. Where the hell am I going?” or “I haven’t tried _______ yet. Maybe I should?”
Frank Benetto is the epitome of someone playing with too many knives. He is indeed the King of Knives. Problem is, you play with knives, you might get hurt. “King of Knives” is very much a story-for-our-times that is both dramatic and funny… with the entire Benetto family flailing around in a “crises sandbox” not realizing the consequences of their actions.
Pictured Right: Gene Pope - Story / Lead Actor