Faced with the sudden death of her terminally ill father under the care of his younger wife, a young woman with self-destructive tendencies is sent on a journey of self-discovery to uncover the truth and find peace.

...think: GONE GIRL meets BLACK SWAN

SYNOPSIS:

FORMAT: Feature | Thriller (Suspense)

LOGLINE: Faced with the sudden death of her terminally ill father under the care of his younger wife, a young woman with self-destructive tendencies is sent on a journey of self-discovery to uncover the truth and find peace.

COMPS: BLACK SWAN meets GONE GIRL

SETTING: In nearly every suburban neighborhood, there is a specific home that suggests the "perfect life." It's grand and elegant, though you wouldn't trade it for the world if you knew what (or who) was living inside. It usually takes half a century to build a life that can afford that house, but not if you're a younger wife who marries into the opportunity. The world can be ruthless at times, and the dangers and killers within are not always predictable. But neither are the victims, primarily if they've already been dealt a worse hand in life, and they're willing to fight for much, much more than wealth.

ABOUT ME: From the lonely depths of depression to the desperate lows of my addictions before recovery, I never experienced helplessness more than while watching my father lose the battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. I didn't write this script because of the horrific and cruel terminal illness and what it does to families; instead, I wrote it because it's the only (legal) way I can control what happens to the monster that made my father’s final days even more inhumane… His fifth wife.

MAIN CHARACTERS

SHELLY WOLFE (35; self-effacing, dejected) was adopted at the age of 3 and battles daily to keep her job. Ever since she can remember, Shelly has been alone and unable to relate to anyone except for the K9s, whom she trains, understands, and loves more than herself. Over the years, her loneliness and depression (along with the music she listens to) have evolved, spiraling her days and blending them all into one long alcoholic voyage with no plotted destination. Shelly's self-harming cutting behind closed doors creates fresh getaways from her vulnerable and emotional wounds. However, the physical scars she bears are singing a different tune to the world, revealing what or whom she’s truly hiding.

LaTANYA WOLFE (50; countryfied-narcissist, backwoodswoman) with a newfound/stolen demand for the finer things in life. As a West Texan, LaTanya's claim to fame is the time she spent (two decades ago) as a production assistant for Big Six, a local news station in Midland, TX. Her fascination with serial killers and passion for becoming the next national journalist to interview them “LIVE” on death row bleeds into her obsession with CRIME TV and becoming famous. LaTanya is thirsty for a life she feels entitled to and will go through anyone who stands in her way, especially those who are not related by blood.

“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”

~ George Bernard Shaw

Humidity beads to the inside of the windshield on a clunker of a car. SHELLY’s heavily scarred forearm swipes the condensation away like a poverty-stricken defroster as she drives her shitbox of a car down a suburban street in LA while listening to a loud and depressing playlist…

Upon entering a majestic estate, Shelly pushes aside a disgusting accumulation of trash and

Stephen Barber | barber.stephen@gmail.comnavigates through the clutter to find her helpless adoptive father, TRISTAN WOLFE (73; prominent developer, now suffering from ALS). To Shelly’s shock, Tristan is being mistreated due to his younger wife LaTANYA WOLFE neglecting him. Tristan’s poor hygiene and living conditions stir up anger, and LaTanya demands Shelly’s key, implying that she should not return.

While excessively consuming alcohol, Shelly cuts into herself with a razor to feel something different, but in doing so, she slips and falls in her bathtub and wakes up later in the hospital after her neighbor MISTY (50s/Black; intelligent, sensual) takes her there because of the noise coming from Shelly’s apartment right next door, and across the hall from MILES THOMPSON (30; libidinous, charming) and Shelly’s newest neighbor. After tests are run, Shelly is informed that she has terminal cancer after losing her job.

In an attempt to see Tristan, Shelly learns of his premature passing as the coroner drives away before LaTanya packs up and moves back to Texas to start her business interviewing violent criminals. Shelly begins therapy and takes on a new role, handling and training K9s with specialized skill sets that only she can command. Shelly forms an immediate bond with STELLA (3/Belgian Malinois; aggressive, unwanted), a dog that no one else wants but Shelly.

LaTanya showcases herself at a fundraiser and persuades (pays them with Tristian’s money) her old colleagues to give her airtime while interviewing a dangerous killer. They agree, and after breaking through during a therapy session, Shelly recognizes LaTanya on the news after she was brutally deformed during her “LIVE” interview shown nationwide.

Shelly steps into a harmful pattern of relief with a bottle and razor, before a tool she learned from WHITNEY (40s; brilliant, inspirational), Shelly’s therapist sends her down a new path, listening to a ‘new playlist’ and into the arms of Miles. Before Shelly runs out of time herself, she and Stella visit LaTanya’s home in Texas to pay her an undesired and frightening visit. Only to leave something behind for LaTanya to ponder over the rest of her disfigured, now blind, and lonely life. It’s a gift that only Shelly could give away.

SHADOW’S PLAYLIST is a suspenseful film about learning to quiet the noise of the same old negative narrative and gaining permission to explore a different way of living. It’ll leave you hopeful that even trauma can be beautiful when faced head-on.