Fiction Adaptation - Research into the portrayal of Lonely Characters

Various films, television series and videos contain various ways of portraying a lonely character. I have decided to look into how these mediums portray these characters in hope that it can help develop my knowledge on what a lonely character should look like.

Loneliness is typically associated with the idea of being in a state of solitude or being alone but is in fact a state of mind. It can make people feel unwanted and alone and often look for human contact all the while their state of mind makes interaction with others feel more and more complicated. It's more a perception of being alone rather than actually being alone. For example a person can feel alone despite being in a room full of people.

One film that looks at the subject of loneliness is the film Her. Set in the near future, it follows a man named Theodore, a sensitive man currently in the middle of a divorce. Struggling to deal with the consequence of his separation, he is unwilling to commit to another relationship Theodore is left in a state of loneliness and becomes reclusive from the rest of the world. That is until he is introduced to Samantha, a super-intelligent operating system with the capability to evolve. The two develop a rather unexpected relationship with one another, one similar to the relationship between any other couple with both highs and lows. However the lows leaves Theodore in a state of realisation that even though the compassion he feels for Samantha is real, the relationship perhaps is not.

Though I am not looking to deal with a mysterious love interest or any form of love interest for that matter, I am interested in how a love interest (or lack of) can leave you in a state of loneliness. How my character becomes lonely is down to the audiences own interpretation.

Another film, one that perhaps suits my character a bit more, is the film Wild Strawberries. Dr. Isak Borg is a widowed 78 year old former medical doctor and professor who retreated from any kind of human contact and is generally avoided by those who do not wish to spend time with him as a result of his cold demeanor. He eventually makes the journey by car to collect an award for his services to his field. This is met by various encounters with those from his past the link to the anguish of previous relationships. The closer he comes to accepting that award, the closer he comes to the realisation of what he could have been.

An older man looking back at his former anguish is closer to what I am trying to convey in my adaptation and is an interesting concept to think about when I come to directing my adaptation. These two films, as well as the knowledge that loneliness is more a state of mind than literally being on your own, have enabled me to grasp onto what it's really like to be alone and are a good indication as to what my adaptation needs.