Kimberly Peirce has quietly been putting together a remarkably diverse CV, starting with her breakout, heartbreaking true-story drama “Boys Don’t Cry,” which she followed with the story of young soldiers in “Stop-Loss,” and then the remake of the horror classic “Carrie.” And on the TV side, she’s done everything from the period fare of “Turn” to the computing narratives of “Halt And Catch Fire.” But now she’s gearing up for what might be her biggest project yet.
Peirce has signed up to direct an adaptation of the memoir “Man’s Search For Meaning,” in which psychiatrist Viktor Frankl details his time in various Nazi death camps and how he learned to cope with such immense and profound suffering. Here’s the book synopsis:
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl’s theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos (“meaning”)-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.
The film is currently seeking screenwriters to pen the script, and certainly a movie like this should take all the time it needs getting it right. “Man’s Search For Meaning” has the potential to be a WWII movie unlike any other, and it’ll be interesting to watch this one develop.
