THE LIST (one-page short drama screenplay) by Steven Clark
A troubled man visits a park with a friend he must always make excuses for.
All right, filmmakers. If you’re looking for something safe and easy to shoot while keeping social distancing in mind, look no further than Steven Clark’s poignant and poetic micro-short, “The List”. Although this one is only a one-pager, Clark packs a lot into this brief yet very emotional journey.
We open the story at a park early in the morning as Don, a middle-aged man suffering from severe depression, sits on a bench, contemplating suicide. Though we’re not sure exactly what he’s been through, we get a sense of it as we hear painful memories flash by inside his head as he stares off during the early-morning sunset…
And hold this moment. Hold as the sound of VOICES are heard – men, women, children. Talking. Shouting. Arguing. A SLAP. A GUNSHOT. The CRASH of a car. The whisper of a LOVER.
Then silence.
While reliving those painful memories, he stares at a gun, seriously considering ending it all. That is, until a songbird landing on a nearby tree branch grabs his attention, its melodic chirping distracting him for just a moment. Getting lost in the beautiful simplicity of nature.
He brings out a notebook, a list of various things written down in it, mostly simple things such as, The sun shined today and My daughter called. Once he writes down, The call of a songbird, we realize that these simple yet beautiful things are the little things in life that has kept him from ending his own life despite all of the pain and tragedy that continues to haunt him daily.
Depression is indeed an everyday battle.
BUDGET: Shoe string. One actor and a park bench.
ABOUT THE WRITER: Based in upstate, NY, Steven Clark is the writer of over 30 short scripts, several of which are under option, in pre-production, or have already been made into films. On A Clear Night, a family Christmas feature aimed at a Hallmark Channel-type audience, is currently in the works. Steven can be reached at Steamroller138 (a) gmail.
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*This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
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800.273.8255
About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.
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