Alex/October, from writer/director Josh Hope, is the story of Alex and October. Alex is at his breaking point. He has a dead-end job, lives alone and feels socially isolated. October is in his own downward spiral. She is lost in life: he parties at night and doesn't give a damn about his future.
Without much to live for, and after several failed suicide attempts, Alex posts an ad online looking for someone willing to kill him for $500. The half-serious October decides to respond, and now a strange friendship begins to develop. between the two Their connection may seem strange at first because they are from very different worlds.
Director: Josh Hope
Writer: Josh Hope
Stars: Ethan Cutkosky, Rivkah Reyes, Stacy Edwards
Alex is an older man who once had everything and then quickly lost it all due to poor choices and alcohol. He is a man who fights to stay in and out of AA. In contrast, October is a much younger millennial with no clear picture of her future. Her estranged mother left her to live alone and she is looking for real connections in life.
Alex/October plays out like a typical drama, as the main characters immediately clash. October is constantly combative towards any attempts by Alex to relate to her. Alex quickly becomes angry and impatient with her rude behavior. However, as emotional barriers begin to fall, the two find more in common than they bargained for.
The star of the film is Hope's script. He takes two characters from opposite ends of the spectrum and finds a way to build a genuine and authentic friendship between them. He pumps out all that emotion without them ever falling in love or having sex. How can these two characters be friends? The filmmaker finds a way to respond to that, and once he does, he looks to challenge that friendship in the third act.
See, the structure of the Alex/October story is pretty standard: he builds the relationship, challenges it, and the protagonists come out stronger. But there is a reason why this dynamic is used a lot: it is solid and it works. Hope makes it even more so because she has written two well defined characters with well defined points of view. Both leads, Hunt and Shayne, understand these characters and embody them beautifully.
The drama is the perfect example of the challenges independent filmmakers face when telling stories. Writers, like Josh Hope, have a story to tell, and no studio will give them the time of day unless a big name is attached to it. But at the same time, we as an audience won't see a movie like this unless it's starring a big name.
For me, the reason to watch Alex/October is the underlying message of it. Our world is so divided that our natural instinct is to turn on each other for the sheer joy of it. But instead we must realize that we are all imperfect people, we have made mistakes, often unforgivable. We must also recognize that all we have is each other to get us through the next day.