Carole Wagener has just completed a screenplay, The Girl with the Dark Red Hair, a fictionalized spin-off from her and her husband’s dual Vietnam War memoir, The Hardest Year: A Love Story in Letters During the Vietnam War.
The Girl with the Dark Red Hair offers a deeply personal yet historically rich narrative of love, duty, and self-discovery set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Vietnam War. The screenplay adapts real-life correspondence between Carole and her soldier husband William from The Hardest Year into a dramatized story, introducing a love triangle that heightens the emotional stakes.
The screenplay transports viewers to 1968, where college campuses were alive with protests, young men faced the draft, and relationships were shaped by uncertainty. Carissa, a junior college student, finds herself at the heart of these tensions, torn between two vastly different men. John, her devoted boyfriend-turned-husband, represents traditional duty and service, while Tom, a vocal anti-war activist, embodies the era’s defiant opposition to the conflict. The love triangle not only heightens the story’s drama but also serves as a microcosm of the ideological battles raging across America.
More than just a romance, the screenplay delves into the emotional cost of war. John’s deployment and Carissa’s subsequent miscarriage add layers of heartbreak, highlighting the sacrifices that extended beyond the battlefield. Meanwhile, Tom’s growing influence on Carissa reflects the shifting perspectives of many Americans during the war. The story doesn’t take sides but rather shows the complexity of emotions and decisions during this divisive time.
What sets The Girl with the Dark Red Hair apart from other Vietnam War stories is its deeply personal approach. By centering the narrative on real-life letters, it preserves an authenticity that resonates deeply. John’s poetry, the struggles of long-distance communication, and the evolution of Carissa’s beliefs all contribute to a powerful, emotional journey.
Imagining this screenplay on the big screen, one can picture a film trailer that encapsulates its essence—vintage footage of 1968 protests, glimpses of young love, and the heartbreaking reality of war. A haunting musical score would underscore the emotional weight, while voiceovers of the original letters would make the story feel even more authentic.
In a time when historical films often focus on broad conflicts, The Girl with the Dark Red Hair reminds us that war is, at its core, deeply personal. It’s about the choices we make, the people we love, and the way history shapes our lives. This screenplay is more than a love story—it’s a poignant reflection on how war changes people, relationships, and the very fabric of a nation. One can only hope that one day, this powerful script finds its way to the screen.
