HER meets Lars & The Real Girl-- 
Widowed Skylar Williams becomes enthralled with a new technology that creates a lifelike hologram of her recently deceased husband and soon chooses him over her friends and career as the line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred. 

SYNOPSIS:

--Top 1% of all projects on Coverfly

--Runner-up Outstanding Screenplays Feature Competition 2023

--Finalist - PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Competition 2023

“After You” is a romantic dramedy that grapples with grief, loss, and moving forward.

SKYLAR WILLIAMS (31) is a recent widow mourning the death of her late husband JOHN WILLIAMS. Skylar works as the stage manager on "Laverne", a popular talk show hosted by the transgender LAVERNE, where she hopes to be promoted to a Producer someday. Her best friend, the resilient NICOLE, is concerned about how Skylar is coping in the weeks since John's death. As Skylar left the burial plans with RUTH, her mother-in-law, she now receives word that the burial plot is ready. John asked to be buried in "The Garden" where he was composted and buried under a tree. After some reluctance, Skylar agrees to go to the Garden where Ruth reveals a HOLOGRAPHIC REPLICA of Skylar’s deceased husband. A new service offered at the Garden, the holograms are created using the data from a person's online history, text messages, emails, etc., allowing the A.I. to create a lifelike simulation that looks and sounds like the actual person.

At first, Skylar is disturbed by this, but when she learns she's pregnant with John's baby, an emotional Skylar confronts Hologram John and he offers solace and comfort. As her pregnancy progresses, Skylar starts returning to the Garden more & more, and soon grows closer to Hologram John as she starts to forget he isn't real. As the weeks pass, Skylar begins neglecting both her professional and personal life to spend time with Hologram John.

COVERAGE FROM TRACKING BOARD’S LAUNCHPAD:

“Equally poignant and comic, "You" blends drama and comedy in an effective way as it explores the difficult topic of grief with its unique premise. The concept of lifelike holograms is a natural extension of existing technology and the script cleverly uses the concept of data mining to explore how such technology might work. While the sci-fi element is intriguing, the focus is very much on the personal stakes as Skylar ignores her grief by indulging in the holographic fantasy. Ultimately framed as the story of female friendship (Skylar and best friend Nicole's relationship is the central one), the script also has plenty of sharp dialogue ("Self-deprecation is my love language") that adds humor and keeps the characters engaging. The script is exactly where it needs to be as it has a great handle on its characters and knows its intended themes.”

COMMENTS FROM THE BLACKLIST:

“This is a pretty fascinating overall premise, in regards to the hologram of Skylar's late husband (with a personality/demeanor built up from his actual words/time/technology of his living life). There are definite strengths to the shift that Skylar goes through, when she starts off by being appalled by the hologram, then becomes obsessed with it, and ultimately shows some complex growth in the finale when the hologram is turned off and she does the [third-act] interview. The friendship between best friends Nicole and Skylar is quite compelling. Their exchanges are usually natural/upbeat/organic, and they navigate some major conflict in their relationship when all is said and done (due to how Nicole views the dilemma with Skylar and Hologram John/what Nicole does about it). The finale perfectly ends with a tear-jerking/powerful beat. The comedy writing is topical and grounded -- and co-worker Daphne proves to be a laugh-out-loud role in this world (while in the workplace with Skylar and their colleagues, and in their friendship outside of work).”