From dream to screen

'The Help''The Tree of Life''We Have to Discuss Kevin''A Separation'Was 2011 all only a dream? Most of the year's best scripts emerged in the deep subconscious. Actually, conventional straightforward storytelling largely turned into a motion picture trompe le monde, such as the hallucinatory narrative of Woodsy Allen's "Night time in Paris," the jumbled reverie of Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Existence," the dream inside a dream -- or movie inside a movie -- of John Logan's "Hugo," the untrustworthy reality of Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan's "Mess Tailor Soldier Spy," and Steve Zaillian's adaptation of Stieg Larsson's "The Lady Using the Dragon Tattoo," which originates using the air of the dream, where meaning is hidden and clues dangle just past the achieve of memory.Scribes investigated waking-from-a-nightmare situations, including Alexander Payne, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon's modified script "The Descendants" and can Reiser's original "50/50." Both were drawn on for script prize through the National Board of Review and D.C. film crix.Also hearkening the nightmare motif was Lynne Ramsay & Rory Kinnear's Columbine-esque drama "We have to Discuss Kevin," Eric Roth's publish-9/11 tale "Very Noisy & Incredibly Close" and Asghar Farhadi's family tragedy "A Separation," named top script through the L.A. film crix.The groggy daze of the hangover set a dark tone for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo's "Bridesmaids" and Diablo Cody's "Youthful Adult," in which a stiff drink motivated several character to question, "What have I done?"For any more obvious-eyed alert approach, there is the truth check of Tate Taylor's "The AssistanceInch and Aaron Sorkin and Zaillian's "Moneyball," honored through the NY and Boston film crix. RELATED LINKS: Authors on authors Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com