Writing/performing myself on-screen: Daniel Monks’ memory work on film

Abstract

Performing memories is a way of working through and reconstructing the self. Films that draw on autobiographical experiences are a way of working through and constructing narratives of the self. How can memory work be applied to the writing and filmmaking process? Can memory work, with its focus on personal and embodied experience, lead us to a more truthful account of our individual histories and ourselves? In addressing these questions, I draw on sociological and memory studies into autobiographical memory in my examination of the screenwriting work of Australian actor/writer Daniel Monks. Monks’ films Marrow (2015) and Pulse (2017) are adapted and developed from the author’s personal memories and experiences. Identifying as disabled and queer, Monks’ work straddles the fact-fiction divide, enabling the social and personal to dynamically interact, producing drama narratives where the body is the primary site for retelling and sharing with an audience his need to be seen. My study includes original drafts of screenplays, produced films and interviews with Monks on his writing and development processes. Demonstrating how Monks uses and refigures his body within a cinematic landscape, I aim to promote discussion on how individual memories function as dynamic and interconnected sources for the screenwriter/filmmaker.