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In the summer of 1994, an unlikely mentor helps a small-town preteen come to terms with her parents' separation and face her fear of becoming a woman.
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Genre: Coming of Age/Dramedy
Script Length: 99 Pages Status: In Development/Funding Writer/Director: Laurie Powers Going Producer: Melissa Kirkendall Producer: Denise Hutto We are seeking investors and partners. Contact us at [email protected] to discuss opportunities, to request script, or to request detailed budget info. |
About
Sixth grader, Sabine McCrary is looking forward to a summer of childhood
fun on the last day of school 1994 when class bully, Todd, manages
to frame her for the unthinkable: defacing a poster of Davy Crockett in
Texas History class. As punishment, “the worst teacher in the world,” Mrs. Martinez, gives her summer homework, ruining her mood completely.
Things go from bad to worse when Sabine and Ola, her best friend, arrive
at Sabine’s rural home to find her parents in another yelling match and
she soon learns her father is moving out. Sabine immediately starts a battle of wills with her exhausted mother, Cathy, whom she blames for her father’s departure. When Ola announces she is leaving town for the summer, Sabine feels utterly abandoned.
After her mother enrolls her in a dorky kid’s day camp, Sabine is resigned to having the worst summer ever. But then, she meets a quirky 12-year-old filmmaker-wanna-be named Ellis and things start looking up. At least, that is, until one morning when Cathy drops her off at Mrs. Martinez’ house.
Can a first crush and an unlikely mentor help see her into womanhood?.
fun on the last day of school 1994 when class bully, Todd, manages
to frame her for the unthinkable: defacing a poster of Davy Crockett in
Texas History class. As punishment, “the worst teacher in the world,” Mrs. Martinez, gives her summer homework, ruining her mood completely.
Things go from bad to worse when Sabine and Ola, her best friend, arrive
at Sabine’s rural home to find her parents in another yelling match and
she soon learns her father is moving out. Sabine immediately starts a battle of wills with her exhausted mother, Cathy, whom she blames for her father’s departure. When Ola announces she is leaving town for the summer, Sabine feels utterly abandoned.
After her mother enrolls her in a dorky kid’s day camp, Sabine is resigned to having the worst summer ever. But then, she meets a quirky 12-year-old filmmaker-wanna-be named Ellis and things start looking up. At least, that is, until one morning when Cathy drops her off at Mrs. Martinez’ house.
Can a first crush and an unlikely mentor help see her into womanhood?.
Director's Statement
Sabine is the of-age story that hits on all the things about coming-of-age that I wish I had understood better at the time-- as told through the eyes a uniquely awkward character. It's a sometimes funny, sometimes moving look back at a more innocent time in a story that peels back layers on issues, still highly relevant today.
Growing up in rural Texas had a lot of perks: bike rides on dusty country roads, childhood friendships that would last a lifetime, and the freedom to while away infinite summer days with nothing but the shrill of the cicadas to keep you company as endless blue skies watched over you. But, no matter how often I reflect upon nostalgia-tinted memories, the truth remains that growing up was hard. Growing up female in this rural setting was even harder. And despite the sure freedom and independence that those open skies and endless roads promised me, closer to home, society was scheming other plans, and doing so with, perhaps, the unwitting aid of some of the people I loved the most.
When I ask people what their favorite coming-of-age film or TV show is, inevitably, answers such as Stand By Me, The Wonder Years, or The Outsiders come up. All great works, and shows that I loved. But, when pressed to name a coming-of-age narrative that genuinely reflects female adolescence, people tend to stumble a bit. In the past, genuine, non-glamorized stories of the female experience were scarce.
Many women of a certain generation grew up reading books and watching educational films in which the main characters could hardly wait to get their periods and become a women. Let’s face it, that is not the reality most of us experienced! Periods, having to wear bras, learning to cook instead of climbing trees and cruising dusty back roads in the bed of my dad’s pickup truck: was I really supposed to believe these were good things? I also didn’t know many girls who had the confidence and perfect style that so many girls seemed to have in many pre-teen flicks I’ve seen over the years.
And so, I wrote Sabine. I wanted to write a story that was genuine, that showed not just the conflicts we face when we become women, but also the universal struggles we all face regardless of gender, when we realize our parents are not always the heroes we envisioned, the world is not always fair, and the things we have been taught are yet only a drop in an ocean of beliefs that we must learn to navigate for ourselves
Growing up in rural Texas had a lot of perks: bike rides on dusty country roads, childhood friendships that would last a lifetime, and the freedom to while away infinite summer days with nothing but the shrill of the cicadas to keep you company as endless blue skies watched over you. But, no matter how often I reflect upon nostalgia-tinted memories, the truth remains that growing up was hard. Growing up female in this rural setting was even harder. And despite the sure freedom and independence that those open skies and endless roads promised me, closer to home, society was scheming other plans, and doing so with, perhaps, the unwitting aid of some of the people I loved the most.
When I ask people what their favorite coming-of-age film or TV show is, inevitably, answers such as Stand By Me, The Wonder Years, or The Outsiders come up. All great works, and shows that I loved. But, when pressed to name a coming-of-age narrative that genuinely reflects female adolescence, people tend to stumble a bit. In the past, genuine, non-glamorized stories of the female experience were scarce.
Many women of a certain generation grew up reading books and watching educational films in which the main characters could hardly wait to get their periods and become a women. Let’s face it, that is not the reality most of us experienced! Periods, having to wear bras, learning to cook instead of climbing trees and cruising dusty back roads in the bed of my dad’s pickup truck: was I really supposed to believe these were good things? I also didn’t know many girls who had the confidence and perfect style that so many girls seemed to have in many pre-teen flicks I’ve seen over the years.
And so, I wrote Sabine. I wanted to write a story that was genuine, that showed not just the conflicts we face when we become women, but also the universal struggles we all face regardless of gender, when we realize our parents are not always the heroes we envisioned, the world is not always fair, and the things we have been taught are yet only a drop in an ocean of beliefs that we must learn to navigate for ourselves
