Strayed
A distraught little girl spots her mother stuffing a suspicious bag into a trash bin soon after her dog goes missing.
Disappointment in a child’s eyes can ravage a mother’s soul. Haunt and eat away at it. Create its own sore of sadness that can only be healed by an act of redemption.
As some wise folks often say, “A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.”
Brandi Self’s “Strayed” shows how one quick-thinking mom attempts to handle the unexpected...in her daughter’s best interests. She thinks.
EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
April gets out of the car. Stares wide eyed as she looks down.
APRIL
Wha...
Blood runs down the street and hits her feet. She slowly backs up.
APRIL (CONT’D)
Oh god, what did I do?
EXT. HOUSE - LATER
April finishes wrapping it up in a black trash bag. Begins washing the bloody spot off the street with a large sponge.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
April crams the black trash bag into the bin.
RILEY (O.S.)
What’s that?
APRIL
(whirls around, flustered)
Oh, hi honey. How was the park?
RILEY
Bo Bo’s gone.
April sees a spot of blood on her own hand and quickly wipes it away.
“Strayed” shows that In the big scheme of things, death is a part of life. As parents, we do our best at shielding our children from the sadness of loss.
But, just how far should a mother go to save her child from heartbreak?
With a couple of locations, a couple of characters, and an ending that will leave you gasping, “Strayed” wraps it up nicely. But certainly not in the neat way you'd expect.