Hey all!
I am Alden Tan, an aspiring screenwriter from Singapore.
I guess if there's an introduction for me, it'd be that I spent my writing career as one of those annoying bloggers and ugh... internet marketers who wrote contrived bullshit just to make a quick buck.
I hated all of that and it has directed me back to my core as a writer who loves to create stories.
I am now writing tales everyday and I hope to put them on the big screen one day.
How's that for an introduction? Better than merely, "My passion is writing" eh?
So here's a movie idea. I intend to make this a series. Let's go and let me know what you think!
Movie Title: Cheaters
Logline: A group of individuals from all walks of life must deal with their various types of infidelity in their relationships.
Genre: Romance comedy
Synopsis:
We follow four different, intertwining stories from different walks of lives as we watch their relationships unfold when cheating finds its way in.
The Millers
John Miller leads a normal, happy life with his family in the suburbs. Married to his high school sweetheart, Sarah, they have three kids, Tommy, Sally and Julie.
John is having an affair outside. He dodges being discovered through little things like the use of an app, called Text Assassin, that automatically deletes his sneaky texts, coming back late at night , buying gifts of his family and simply lying to them.
Sarah starts to get suspicious. She confronts him, but John denies everything. This upsets Tommy heavily, making him feel that his mom is going crazy.
Angry and upset, Sarah plants a hidden camera in the car. It captures John and his secret partner. The entire family confronts him. Instead of seeking forgiveness, he reveals how unhappy he has been his entire life, saying how he's been living a lie and that the affair was what he needed to be who he really is. John was told to leave the house. Tommy proclaims that he hates him and will never be like him.
After the episode, Sarah has brunch with her friends. It is revealed that Sarah actually cheated before the marriage and she justifies that since she wasn't married yet, it is okay.
The gay couple
Jacques and Francis are a gay couple who are in an open relationship, where they've established rules that allow them to see other people outside.
Jacques is upset with these rules for he wants to start being serious, while Francis seems to keep partying and seeing other guys. One evening, Jacques returns home and catches Francis sleeping with another man.
The man is actually John Miller, revealing what he meant earlier as "living a lie."
Jacques and Francis fight. Jacques reveals that he wants to get serious as Francis, who is a lot older has shown him that he doesn't want to grow up to be like him. Francis gets upset and retorts by reminding Jacques that he was the one to set up the rules. Francis leaves the house.
Jacques is devastated, thinking that the relationship is over. Through the persuasion of his personal assistant, he realizes that he and Francis can start over again with no rules as a clean slate. Jacques runs out to find Francis. They talk it out and get back together.
The ultimate douchebag
Ken is a douchebag who cheats on his fiance, Jennifer non-stop. He doesn't care at all, so much so he explicitly talks about his philandering exploits to his two closest friends, Tim and Jerry. This makes them uncomfortable, but they do nothing about it.
Jennifer's friends, Kelly and Susan hate Ken. To help her, they carry out an intervention and reveal all the evidence of Ken's cheating to Jennifer.
Jennifer confronts Ken, who denies everything with outrageous lies. Ken acts insulted and leaves the house. He goes to Tim and Jerry and tells them about it. Tim and Jerry reveal that they knew about the intervention, and said that they're there for him as friends. Ken gets angry with them, saying that they should have prevented it and cover up for him. Tim and Jerry in turn get mad, telling him what a bad person he is. They fall out and the friendship is over.
Jennifer moves on with the help of her friends as well as Tim and Jerry. They all bond. Ken, having lost his fiance and all his friends, goes into depression.
Months later, Ken meets his father. It is revealed that Ken's father is John Miller and his full name is Ken Thomas Miller. They apologize to each other. They rekindle their relationship.
The long-distance couple
Ethan and Charlotte are a young couple from Australia. They embark on a long-distance relationship as Ethan flies over to the states for a student exchange program.
The relationship sours as things get in the way, such as time difference and a bad reception in their video calls.
Ethan goes on a road trip with his new friends to Vegas. He cheats on Charlotte with Sarah Miller while drunk. Charlotte cheats on Ethan when she goes over to a colleague's house.
They both regret their actions. They reflect and wonder what to do about it.
Eventually, Ethan returns home to Australia. Both of them do not reveal what they've done. They live happily ever after and get married later on in life.
Script progress: Finished! But proofreading over and over to improve upon it.
Other movie inspirations: Love Actually (Decent.) Valentine's Day (Sucks.) New Year's Eve (Decent.)
Why I wrote this: I wanted to create a romance drama that talks about infidelity. This phenomenon is so common today that we need to force a second look on it, whether you like to or not. It's also to explore the different degrees of infidelity and the consequences it has on the self and others.
Enjoy!