Klepto

Emily Barrett is a recovering kleptomaniac, putting her life back together after a shoplifting conviction and counseling by Dr. Lucinda Douglas. At a catering job, at the Arkell Estate, Emily serves guests at the memorial service for the late Jacob Arkell, a famous archaeologist, and father of bored playboys, Connor and Aaron. Lucinda, a friend of the Arkell family, has arranged this one-day gig for Emily before she returns to her day job as a librarian. Instructed to fetch a bottle of wine for the proceedings, Emily is given an impromptu tour of the place by Lucinda, who feels this is the final test for her recovery, being in a house with so many rare items on display. But temptation arises in the form of a leather bound journal that belonged to Jacob. A book he carried around the world on his many adventures, including his final one, to Russia. When Emily is asked to fetch one more bottle of wine on her way out the door, temptation proves too much. She swipes the journal. But little does she know, she is being watched by two criminals, Drake and Slocum, who have their own designs on the book. Emily comes home, to the house she shares with her brother Peter, unaware the unsavory crooks are parked outside, waiting for an opportunity to grab the book. Emily’s conscience gets the better of her, and she does the one thing the criminals hadn't anticipated. She attempts to return the book, but is surprised by Detective Kelso Collins, already there investigating the missing journal for Connor. Unable to return the book without being seen, Emily instead comes away with something else... Connor’s affections. Connor and Emily hit it off and go out on the town, but are shadowed by Slocum and Drake all the while. Conflicted, Emily decides to stash the book in Connor’s sports car and be done with it. But other desperate men are after the book, including tomb raiding rivals of Jacob Arkell, and Russian Mafiya thugs, who kidnap her brother. Emily is forced to sneak into the Arkell Estate and get the book back. When the cops are there, waiting for her, she knows she’s been set up, but even worse, she is forced to admit she stole from Connor. Connor, sympathetic, does not press charges, much to Lucinda’s chagrin. Emily returns to work at the library, but spots Connor's brother Aaron there, using pages ripped from the journal to locate a series of reference books, and decipher a coded message. The book is not the prize but the key to unlocking it. And Emily, after following Aaron to a secret rendezvous with Slocum, has seen too much. Fleeing for her life, she is snatched up by a van full of Russian thugs. Held captive in a remote warehouse by the Russian mob, Emily must use the clues she’s uncovered, and her access to Connor, to help them steal a rare, jewel-encrusted mask from the Arkell estate. She must do the one thing that has caused her the most pain, and give in to the one impulse that she’s fought so hard to resist. She now must steal... for real, and with the lives of those she cares about in jeopardy. KLEPTO Taking back your life has never carried a steeper price tag. ***************The REVIEWS are in on KLEPTO****************** "...it was refreshing to see the ol' "V.O. Narration" wasn't abused. Nice. The relationship between Emily and Lucinda was a brilliant way to establish Emily's character. Their interplay in the first part of the script really showed Emily's strengths and weaknesses (even Lucinda's). It was the perfect starting point to the story. There were a lot of "villains"... but it worked. They were necessary or else it would have been too easy for Emily and Connor's "Happily Ever After" to occur. Good use of dialogue. Very natural and each character had their own idiosyncrasies, cadences, and ways of speech. However, what relly impressed me were the action descriptions. It paced the action/plot/story perfectly (even poetic at times). Impressed (and envious). ...as I'm reading, imagining the most wonderful shots for your excellent action descriptions and dialogue... I predicted the ending before actually reaching the end, but the enjoyment wasn't the actual ending, it was the "details" of the ending (that's the only way I can state it without giving any spoilers for anyone else reading this review). I'd consider this a very good "caper" movie with relevant and interesting subplots and well worth the read. I'd definitely be interested in watching any film projects/features produced based off of the screenplay. Good job." ************ "Enter the world of Klepto" written by Brefni O'Rourke. A story of impulse, family ties, and trust. Emily, the lead character who suffers from an impulse control disorder called kleptomania... Emily has already been in trouble with the law for her stealing, as seen in dialogue and flashback. She seems to have trouble with it, and it has inflicted on her life legally and relationally, especially with her brother, Peter. Peter seems humiliated by her antics with the stealing and probably wishes she was more anchored into reality and made wiser decisions. The film opens up after the inciting incident with Emily stealing the journal, which if it didn't happen would have Emily living in her ordinary world without any conflict. Since she did steal the item, all chaos breaks loose and Russian thugs, untrustworthy and conniving therapists who are Russian, and run-ins with law enforcement and being bound in warehouses is a certainty. It is an interesting perspective with the story revolving around a man who has recently died, and yet we know much about the man from what his family members say about him. The motivations of the antagonists, such as Lucinda, seemed clear. The late archaeologist was digging in her home country and she thought she was the rightful heir to something in Russia. All the characters plot motivations seemed logical."