Requiem by Sylvia Dahlby

A mentally-impaired teen mourns the death of a murdered classmate.

Churches hold a unique role in society: setting the final scene for births and deaths. Those attending such events experience a wild range of emotions – from ebullience to dark distress.

For the characters in Requiem, it’s sadly the blackest of nights. 14 year-old Rose lies motionless in her casket at church. Though now (presumably) at peace, Rose is the victim of a murderous assailant; not yet identified – much less caught. Her only companion in these last hours: developmentally delayed teen boy Elvin, his world rocked by the loss of his closest friend.

When others enter the vestibule, Elvin bolts away.

It’s his mother and the local Father, conversing nervously amongst themselves. About how Elvin’s been reported missing. In fact, he’s disappeared without a trace!

Not long after Elvin’s mother leaves, Rose’s father arrives. A grieving parent on the verge, Peter asks the Father to hear his confession. But when he collapses in the booth – a different voice filters through the screen.

Elvin’s there. Hiding. Ready to admit to certain “sins”:

            ELVIN
     (stuttering)
I did-didn’t me-mean to kill her.

Rose’s father storms out, intent on wreaking his revenge. But can a boy as troubled as Elvin tell the truth – or is he just saying what others want to hear?

Read the story to find out. Offering high drama on a low budget, Requiem is the “holy grail of scripts”: a tale of grief, redemption and revenge. One that – unlike Elvin (and perhaps others) – has absolutely nothing to hide!

Budget: Low. Just some high quality actors (and a church) is all.

About the Writer: I’m a one time advertising copywriter who has fallen in love with screenwriting. I’ve written a handful of features, one has been produced as a Role Playing Game (RPG) and made its debut at CarnageCon. I enjoy writing short scripts since it’s a fun exercise for sharpening my skills; so far one of my shorts has been produced as a student film project, and I welcome the opportunity to have more of my work produced via participation on SimplyScripts. Sylvia can be reached at sylviedahl (a) AOL.

Read Requiem (5 pages in pdf format)

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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.

About the reviewer: Hamish Porter is a writer who, if he was granted one wish, would ask for the skill of being able to write dialogue like Tarantino. Or maybe the ability to teleport. Nah, that’s nothing compared to the former. A lover of philosophy, he’s working on several shorts and a sporting comedy that can only be described as “quintessentially British”. If you want to contact him, he can be emailed: hamishdonaldp (a) gmail. If you’d like to contact him and be subjected to incoherent ramblings, follow him on Twitter @HamishP95.