Whisper To A Scream

(No dialogue. No script. Like a modern take on a silent film, it’s a musical story told through popular songs/visuals from start to finish. The songs, their lyrics and their emotion are the ‘script’ and the soundtrack of this boy’s coming of age story.) Story/visual synopsis: We are introduced to a high school junior boy in his bedroom studying and listening to his favorite songs, both old and new on records and digital. We learn in a flashback montage that his dad introduced him to that disparate love of music on vinyl records at an early age. On his way to school the next morning, he thinks about his girl crush and we meet his best friend. We casually note the metal detector and security guard on his way into school. At school, he is having another regular morning, daydreaming and working in classes until lunchtime. At lunch, sitting next to his best friend, the film’s songs dramatically stop because of a shooting in the cafeteria. We are only witness to the shooting through the boy’s restricted POV on the ground but he will be injured and his best friend shot and killed. Songs and visuals then tell the story of a grieving process, recovery and loss of innocence from the trauma. But as we all know, an American high schooler’s life has to move on, and we will see him sweetly start a relationship with his girl crush during the next summer and have nice moments with his family as his big sister goes off to college. He will also honor his best friend in subtle and symbolic ways through the remainder of the film. Then in another song montage, we follow the dating of him and his girlfriend in his senior year from a wonderful relationship to eventually, a heartbreaking break up. Graduation finally comes where remembrances, hugs and goodbyes happen until we are back in his bedroom where the boy lays out his cap and gown and lays back on his bed to listen to a song. His dad enters alone, the dad glances at the boy’s growing record collection, the son invites his dad to lay down next to him and share the headphone to listen to the song. Fade to black to credits.