I Met a Girl (ATOM Study Guide)

Devon, an aspiring musician with schizophrenia, is dependent on his brother, Nick, to care for him. However, their status quo is threatened when Nick's wife, Olivia, becomes pregnant and they arrange for Devon to move out. A dejected Devon contemplates jumping from a rooftop when his friend and 'delusion', Mr. Rocket, an ageing superhero, tries to stop him. But Devon falls... before waking up in the home of a mysterious girl, Lucy. They spend a magical day together and Devon falls deeply in love.

Devon tells Nick about the girl who 'saved' him and arranges for Nick to meet her. But Lucy doesn't show. They try to find her but her apartment is empty; she's gone. Nick suspects that Lucy is another delusion, while Devon, desperate to prove his sanity, discovers a note that she wrote for him saying: meet me in Sydney, and he impulsively sets off from Perth to find her. After losing his medication and being stalked by his evil delusion, 'Miss Needles', Devon becomes stranded in the desert with no money, phone or help. Meanwhile, Nick won't give up searching, straining his relationship with Olivia. However, Devon finds a strength he never knew he had and successfully hitches to Sydney and teams up with a homeless poet, Soul, to comb the streets for Lucy. He gets on national TV just as Miss Needles returns.

Devon has a breakdown on live television, seen by Nick and Olivia. Nick flies out to rescue his brother as a shattered Devon starts to suspect that maybe Lucy isn't real and that she never saved him. But as Devon contemplates what he accomplished by traversing the country on his own, he starts to realise that the only person who can save him... is himself.

Curriculum Links:

NB. I Met a Girl contains occasional coarse language and complex ideas and scenes involving mental illness which may be confronting for some students. The film is recommended for study from Year 9 and above and teacher discretion is advised.

I Met a Girl can be linked to the following subject areas within the Australian Curriculum:

• Year 10 English
• Year 10 Health and Physical Education
• Year 10 Media Arts

In addition, I Met a Girl relates directly to the following General Capabilities within the Australian Curriculum:

• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Personal and Social Capability
• Ethical Understanding

I Met a Girl may also be used as a supplementary text for relevant Senior School subject areas, including:

• English
• Health and Human Development
• Media Arts
• Psychology