The Sinner

A trio of desperate figures beseech a god for rescue at sea—only to abandon her once help shows up.

Type:

Short

Status:

For sale

Page Count:

4pp

Genre:

Adventure

Budget:

Shoestring

Age Rating:

Everyone

Based On:

“The Angel on the Ship” (1928), a one-act play by Thornton Wilder.

Synopsis/Details

On a ship adrift in the ocean, three survivors attend to its figurehead and begin treating it like a god. They start praying, confessing their sins, and asking for the aid of this god. But such behavior does not last long, for as soon as a rescue ship appears on the horizon, one of the male characters gets ready to toss overboard the very god that he and his shipmates had erected—out of fear they will be accused of idol-worship by their saviors.

Story & Logistics

Story Type:

Rescue

Story Situation:

Conflict with a god

Story Conclusion:

Bitter-sweet

Linear Structure:

Linear

Moral Affections:

Impenitence, Penitence

Cast Size:

Several

Locations:

Single

Special Effects:

Minor cgi

Characters

Lead Role Ages:

Female over 45, Male Teenager, Male over 45

Hero Type:

Anti-Hero

Villian Type:

Corrupted

Stock Character Types:

Bad boy, Hag, Noble savage

Advanced

Adaption:

Based on Existing Fiction

Subgenre:

Action/Adventure, Literary Adaption, Sea Adventures

Action Elements:

Physical Stunts

Equality & Diversity:

Diverse Cast

Life Topics:

Approaching Death

Super Powers:

Physical or mental domination

Time Period:

Late modern period

Country:

Jamaica

Time of Year:

Summer

Illness Topics:

Psychological

Relationship Topics:

Abusive relationship, Affinity, Bonding

Writer Style:

Graham Greene, Paul Schrader

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Submitted: 2020-Nov-27

Last Updated: 2020-Nov-27

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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 Sinner

Synopsis/Details

The Writer: R. J. Cardullo

Pages