Things I’d Like to Do to People
The moral compass of a young inventor deteriorates when he creates a device
that allows him to live a hedonistic lifestyle with no consequences.

What’s the root of all evil? Some say money. Others find that cliché. And there are plenty alternative scapegoat motives to point a trembling finger at instead: Lust. Pride/Ego. Racism. Greed. All toxic ingredients of the human psyche, to be sure. 

But what often doesn’t get added to our list of “the progenitor of bad ju-ju things” is more banal. And yet, perhaps no less deadly. To be honest, it’s potentially MORE deadly - because few see it sneaking up ‘til it’s too late:

In a word: Boredom. 

Seriously. Speaking of proverbs, there’s one more which applies: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Though at first, that sophistry might seem quaint. But take a deep dive, and there’s a more profound point to unearth. Because boredom can lead to a desperate need for stimulus. If you’ve already done everything on your bucket list, wouldn’t you look for something new - preferably exotic and taboo - to keep the spark of life burning? For yourself, we mean. For others? Maybe not so much.

Flip open Thomas Farquhar’s short Things I’d Like to Do to People and meet:

Andy – a genius inventor at the tender age of 22. At least, that’s what Andy claims as he livestreams a confession from his bedroom. Flashing a small Apple-styled device at the screen, he calls it a Rewinder. Andy claims his little doo-dad can REWIND TIME – to whatever point the user picks.

Inspired by an annoying encounter, Andy admits he first tested it over the most trivial dry-run: telling off a rude neighbor, then rewinding time to a point before insults were thrown and damage done. A useless gesture? Not exactly, if you think things through: getting the satisfaction of venting, but none of the blow-back. Priceless stuff!

Then comes more. Andy experimenting with the Rewinder and solo sex… (Nuff said there. Read the details and find out.) Then buying a winning lotto ticket. If you can roll back time, the possibilities are endless. As are opportunities to cash in. Livin’s easy, until…

Scowling into the camera, Andy confesses that after countless lives, things got-

Boring. Not boring enough for Andy to KILL himself, mind you. But others?  Well…

After he witnesses a bullying incident, inspiration strikes for Andy once more: 

A transgender woman walks down a dark street, scared. A rude man shouts at her from the street.

MAN
You wanna compare cock sizes, darlin'?
                      
ANDY (V.O.)
After living for so long... 
I started to wonder what I was living for.

Down the street, Andy sits in his range rover, watching the scene. He presses the Rewinder.

ANDY (V.O.)
The guy deserved it. And by "it", 
I mean a four-wheeler to the face. 

“A four-wheeler to the face”. YOWCH. Sure enough, Andy turns the cat-caller into SUV pancakes. Even worse… Andy FINDS HIMSELF ENJOYING IT. 

But after he rewinds, everything’s fixed. The man alive. No harm done(?) Which leaves a shell-shocked and morally conflicted Andy to contemplate: if you can always rewind, why not do whatever you want? It’s not like they’ll remember. And there are no consequences… right?

From that not-so-innocent premise, true evil sprouts. Facing his anonymous social media audience, Andy confesses to a whole range of subsequent sins and monstrous acts. Ones that – according to him – happened for the “fun” of it, and then were conveniently “erased.”

ANDY (V.O.)
What I did to her... and the others... 
I thought would be the worst line of them all.

Spoiler alert… it’s so not.

Is Andy insane? A grifter pushing a hoax on the dark web? Or maybe… something far, far worse?

Imagine what YOU would do with a Rewinder.  Then – if you’re a director looking for a thought provoking, morally rough ride – imagine what YOU could do with this script! Things I’d Like to Do to People is easy to shoot, painful to contemplate. Which makes it a horror/SF gem, if done right!