Safe in the Countryside by Bill Sarre

A lonely couple hide out on D-Day. But the war isn’t the only danger they have to fear…

Betrayal comes in many flavors. In war sides must be chosen; even if your survival – and the survival of your loved ones – depends on betraying allegiances.

As the Allies finally roll through Normandy in 1944, all Henry and Francine Duvall have to do is ride out the storm, holed up in their isolated farmhouse. An easy task. Isn’t it?

After all, they have a new baby to protect. Henry wants no part of the outside world until the fighting is over, and they can seek the approaching army’s protection.

But when a wounded German soldier turns up on their doorstep, the besieged couple must decide: do they risk the wrath of the now-victorious French Resistance if they take him in? Is it better to leave him to die, or does every human being deserve mercy?

But the soldier’s presence is more than a moral dilemma. Within a few precious minutes, his appearance unravels treacheries that Henry and Francine have committed during the long way; against their country, and each other.

A gripping drama from writer Bill Sarre, Safe in the Countryside is a wonderfully effective tale, exploring the nature of betrayal and the terrible acts we choose to commit when faced with extreme circumstance.  For a director that can invoke the grim mood of war and secrets, Safe in the Countryside is an excellent story to try your hand at. And an obvious festival favorite!

Budget: The exteriors will require a farmhouse and some distant explosions, but the interiors are simple enough and the main cast is small – Henry, Francine and the soldier.

About the writer: An award winning writer, Bill Sarre has had scripts place both finalist and quarter finalist with Page and Bluecat.  Another short of his, The Grieving Spell, was recently grand prize winner of the London Film Awards. Bill can be reached at Bill.sarre (a) gmail

Read Safe in the Countryside (6 pages in pdf format)

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About the reviewer: Pete Barry is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, actor, director and musician. His short plays have been published in numerous collections. He’s also a cofounder of the PorchRoom.com/, a film and theater production company. Please feel free to reach out to him with script requests at petebarry27 (a) hotmail.