MISREAD (6-page short drama screenplay) by MATTHEW TAYLOR
A struggling couple seek help for their communication issues, but is it enough?
Communication is key in maintaining a healthy relationship with your significant other – miscommunication is usually the downfall of many marriages. But, as we learn in this wickedly dark and masterful suspense drama, miscommunication can even lead to deadly consequences.
Told with a very unique, yet never confusing structure, writer Matthew Taylor takes us on quite the ride using time jumps to give us a first-person look at how disorienting the miscommunication can be for an unhappily married couple.
In “Misread”, that couple is Jade and her workaholic husband, Leo. Right out of the gate, we see the consequence of their miscommunication, opening with an image of Jade lying in a puddle of blood with Leo standing over her. But how did we get here?
Playing with scene chronology, the author takes us through the moments leading up to the gruesome aftermath. We learn that the struggling couple has been seeing a marriage counselor named Dr. Goodwin, who eventually learns just how volatile this relationship really is by story’s end. Through a series of voice-overs during their numerous sessions, he explains to them the five pillars of a solid marriage: safety, faithfulness, commitment, intimacy and, finally, communication. And we see specific examples of Jade and Leo failing at each of these pillars.
Even though we already know the end result, the journey leading us up to that point still surprises us, with each of the time-jumping sequences coming together brilliantly before FADE OUT. With its wit, off-beat tone and series of misunderstandings, this script really reminded me of excellent films such as the Coen Brothers first film, “Blood Simple” and Sidney Lumet’s final film, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”. This really is quite a brilliant achievement to accomplish in six pages and would make a fantastic film that I could easily see winning some awards on the film festival circuit. If you’re a filmmaker, scoop this up before someone else does!
BUDGET: Low. Common and minimal locations, three main actors.
ABOUT THE WRITER: Matthew Taylor is an accountant from Shakespeare’s county. Though fairly new to screenwriting, he is a naturally gifted storyteller hitting his stride as a writer, recently securing an option for one of his scripts. Though he’s always learning and looking to improve his craft, his skill level is far more advanced than most writers with similarly limited experience. Matthew spends his spare time reading scripts and books. His dream is to be able to make a living from screenwriting, specializing in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He can be reached at: scripts.by.mt at gmail.
Read: MISREAD (6-page short drama screenplay)
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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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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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