The Lie

A husband confronts his wife with the (unspoken) charge of adultery, only to have her deny it, then admit it—and then deny it again.

Type:

Short

Status:

For sale

Page Count:

4pp

Genre:

Drama, Family, Romance

Budget:

Shoestring

Age Rating:

13+

Based On:

“The Lie” (1971, 1982), a short story by Raymond Carver.

Synopsis/Details

United States, 1967. A woman proclaims her innocence to her husband in the face of a charge a mutual friend has made against her. She reviles the friend—a female—and asks her husband to believe his wife. Then the latter admits that she has been lying. The husband is not sure what to make of the situation, even as the wife strips, begins to seduce him, and again questions the friend’s credibility.

Story & Logistics

Story Type:

Hero's Journey

Story Situation:

Adultery

Story Conclusion:

Surprise Twist

Linear Structure:

Linear

Moral Affections:

Accusation, Guilt, Innocence, Sensulist

Cast Size:

Couple

Locations:

Single

Characters

Lead Role Ages:

Female Adult, Male Adult

Hero Type:

Anti-Hero, Ordinary

Villian Type:

Anti-Villian, Femme/Homme Fatale

Stock Character Types:

Everyman, Femme fatale

Advanced

Adaption:

Based on Existing Fiction

Subgenre:

Drama, Hybrid Sub-Genres, Literary Adaption, Love, Psychological, Romance, Sexual/Erotic

Equality & Diversity:

Female Protagonist

Life Topics:

Quarterlife Crisis

Super Powers:

Physical or mental domination

Time Period:

The Sixties (1960–1969)

Country:

United States of America (USA)

Time of Year:

Spring

Relationship Topics:

Activities, By marriage, Emotions and feelings, Husband, Jealousy, Non-monogamy, Practices, Romance, Sexual, Sexual activity, Sexuality

Writer Style:

Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, David Mamet, Ingmar Bergman

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Submitted: 2021-Apr-30

Last Updated: 2021-Apr-30

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The Writer: R. J. Cardullo

A former university film teacher, I turned to screenwriting several years ago. I have also written film criticism for many publications. A New Yorker by birth, I grew up in Miami and was educated at the University of Florida, Tulane, and Yale. My last U.S. address was in Milford, Connecticut; I am now an expatriate residing in Scandinavia. Many of my scripts (both long and short) are adaptations of lesser-known works by well-known authors. I am happy to re-write, collaborate, or write on demand. Thanks kindly for any attention you can give my work. Go to bio

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The Lie

Synopsis/Details

The Writer: R. J. Cardullo

Pages