Narvel Roth is the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, as pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs. Norma Haverhill. When Mrs. Haverhill demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great-niece Maya as a new apprentice, chaos enters Narvel’s orderly existence. The new situation will bring to light dark secrets from a violent past that are also a threat to everyone.
He was born in Michigan (United States) in 1946. He graduated from Calvin College and took a master’s degree at UCLA while working as a film critic and writing ‘Transcendental Style in Film’. He achieved his first success with the script for ‘The Yakuza’ (Sidney Pollack, 1974). Later he would sign unforgettable scripts like those for ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976), ‘Raging Bull’ (1980) or ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ (1988), all directed by Martin Scorsese. His films have won numerous awards in Valladolid: ‘Blue Collar’ won the Silver Spike in the 23rd edition; ‘Affliction’ bagged the awards for Best Actor and Best Cinematography in the 42nd edition; ‘Adam resurrected’ won the award for Best Music at the 54 Valladolid Festival; and ‘The Card Counter’ bagged the award for Best Screenplay in 2021. In 2013 he was the subject of a retrospective and received the Honorary Spike in Valladolid.