A Catalogue of Possible Futures
On a day of fragile sobriety, a walk through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden becomes a minefield of hope and doubt, where every smile feels like a performance and every shadow hides a potential lie.
# A Catalogue of Possible Futures
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
On the 60th day of his partner's sobriety, a hyper-vigilant man must decide whether to trust in their shared dream of a new life, even as his constant suspicion threatens to expose their perfect day as an elaborate performance.
## Themes
* **The Fragility of Trust:** Explores the difficulty of rebuilding trust in the wake of addiction, where every action is scrutinized and true faith feels like a dangerous gamble.
* **Performance vs. Reality:** Examines the way individuals in recovery (and their partners) perform "normalcy" and "wellness," blurring the line between genuine healing and a desperate facade.
* **The Architecture of Hope:** Delves into the fantasies people construct to survive trauma, such as the "geographic cure," and the profound vulnerability required to believe in them.
* **The Loneliness of Codependency:** Focuses on the isolating internal experience of loving an addict, where one is simultaneously a partner, a caretaker, and a warden.
## Stakes
At stake is the very possibility of a shared, authentic future, dependent on whether Owen can overcome his protective cynicism and Sasha can maintain her fragile sobriety.
## Synopsis
OWEN and SASHA celebrate her 60-day sobriety milestone with a trip to a beautiful botanical garden. While the day is framed as a perfect, romantic anniversary, Owen is internally on high alert. He is the unwilling critic of Sasha's flawless performance of "Sasha on a Good Day," cataloguing every tiny tremor and distant gaze for signs of a potential relapse.
Their walk leads them to a serene Japanese garden, where Sasha proposes a radical idea: they should move away. She paints a seductive picture of a quiet life upstate, a "geographic cure" free from the ghosts of their past in the city. Owen, scarred by past disappointments, initially dismisses it as a familiar fantasy. However, Sasha’s desperate, sincere plea for a "real life" breaks through his carefully constructed walls.
In a moment of profound vulnerability, Owen chooses to believe. He agrees to the plan, and the relief that washes over Sasha is palpable. They share a real kiss, and for the first time all day, Owen’s hyper-vigilant mind goes quiet. He allows himself to feel pure, uncomplicated hope for their future.
The truce is short-lived. Sasha excuses herself to use the restroom. As Owen watches her walk away, his heart full, he sees her pause where she believes she is out of sight. She quickly and secretly pulls out her phone, her thumb flying across the screen. The small, reflexive gesture is as loud as a gunshot, instantly shattering the fragile peace and plunging Owen right back into the familiar, agonizing territory of doubt and suspicion.
## Character Breakdown
* **OWEN (30s):** Observant, anxious, and deeply loving, but his love is filtered through the lens of past trauma. He functions as the "stage manager" of Sasha's recovery, a role that forces him into a state of constant, exhausting vigilance. His cynicism is a shield, but it also prevents him from experiencing genuine connection.
* **SASHA (30s):** Hopeful, charming, and desperate for a clean slate. She is actively trying to embody recovery, both for Owen and for herself. It remains ambiguous how much of her wellness is authentic and how much is a fragile performance designed to hold their world together.
* **Psychological Arc (Owen):**
* **State at start:** Hyper-vigilant and emotionally guarded, unable to be present as he constantly scans Sasha for signs of deception, living in a state of perpetual, low-grade anxiety.
* **State at end:** Devastated and thrown back into profound uncertainty. The brief, beautiful moment of surrendering to hope makes its sudden destruction all the more devastating, leaving him utterly isolated in his suspicion once more.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE CONSERVATORY - A FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE:** Owen and Sasha celebrate 60 days of sobriety in a vibrant, orderly glasshouse. The external beauty contrasts with Owen's internal monologue, which reveals his intense scrutiny of Sasha's every move. He sees her health and happiness as a flawless, but possibly hollow, performance.
2. **THE POND - THE ARCHITECTURE OF HOPE:** They sit by a tranquil pond in the Japanese garden. Sasha proposes the "geographic cure"—moving away to start over. Owen is immediately skeptical, recognizing it as a familiar fantasy born of desperation.
3. **THE PLEA - A CRACK IN THE WALL:** Sasha pushes back, insisting her plan is real. Her urgent, pleading sincerity and her question—"Don't you want that? A real life?"—begin to dismantle Owen's cynical defenses. He feels her clammy hand, a sign of her own anxiety.
4. **THE SURRENDER - A MOMENT OF TRUCE:** Looking at her hopeful face, Owen makes a conscious choice. He lets go of his doubt and agrees. "Yes, I want that." Relief washes over Sasha. They share a genuine kiss, and for the first time, Owen’s mind is quiet. He allows himself to believe.
5. **THE PATH - THE SECRET GESTURE:** Sasha excuses herself to the restroom. Owen watches her walk away, feeling a pure, uncomplicated love. Just as she rounds a bend, thinking she's unseen, she pulls out her phone. Her head drops, her thumb moves in a quick, secret flurry. The gesture is small, but it shatters the perfect moment completely, confirming Owen's deepest fears and ending the day's fragile truce.
## Visual Style & Tone
The film will employ a naturalistic, intimate visual style. The camera will often be tight on the characters, using a shallow depth of field to emphasize Owen's obsessive focus on Sasha's micro-expressions and gestures. The lush, vibrant colors of the conservatory will contrast sharply with the crisp, muted palette of the autumn garden, mirroring the shift from a performed fantasy to a harsh reality.
The tone is quiet, tense, and melancholic, designed to make the audience feel as if they are holding their breath alongside Owen. It aligns with the raw emotional intimacy and observational focus of films like *Blue Valentine* or *Pieces of a Woman*, combined with the quiet, psychological dread of a grounded *Black Mirror* episode. Sound design will be critical, amplifying small, significant sounds—the crunch of gravel, a sharp inhale, the subtle tap of a phone screen—to heighten the pervasive tension.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
On the 60th day of his partner's sobriety, a hyper-vigilant man must decide whether to trust in their shared dream of a new life, even as his constant suspicion threatens to expose their perfect day as an elaborate performance.
## Themes
* **The Fragility of Trust:** Explores the difficulty of rebuilding trust in the wake of addiction, where every action is scrutinized and true faith feels like a dangerous gamble.
* **Performance vs. Reality:** Examines the way individuals in recovery (and their partners) perform "normalcy" and "wellness," blurring the line between genuine healing and a desperate facade.
* **The Architecture of Hope:** Delves into the fantasies people construct to survive trauma, such as the "geographic cure," and the profound vulnerability required to believe in them.
* **The Loneliness of Codependency:** Focuses on the isolating internal experience of loving an addict, where one is simultaneously a partner, a caretaker, and a warden.
## Stakes
At stake is the very possibility of a shared, authentic future, dependent on whether Owen can overcome his protective cynicism and Sasha can maintain her fragile sobriety.
## Synopsis
OWEN and SASHA celebrate her 60-day sobriety milestone with a trip to a beautiful botanical garden. While the day is framed as a perfect, romantic anniversary, Owen is internally on high alert. He is the unwilling critic of Sasha's flawless performance of "Sasha on a Good Day," cataloguing every tiny tremor and distant gaze for signs of a potential relapse.
Their walk leads them to a serene Japanese garden, where Sasha proposes a radical idea: they should move away. She paints a seductive picture of a quiet life upstate, a "geographic cure" free from the ghosts of their past in the city. Owen, scarred by past disappointments, initially dismisses it as a familiar fantasy. However, Sasha’s desperate, sincere plea for a "real life" breaks through his carefully constructed walls.
In a moment of profound vulnerability, Owen chooses to believe. He agrees to the plan, and the relief that washes over Sasha is palpable. They share a real kiss, and for the first time all day, Owen’s hyper-vigilant mind goes quiet. He allows himself to feel pure, uncomplicated hope for their future.
The truce is short-lived. Sasha excuses herself to use the restroom. As Owen watches her walk away, his heart full, he sees her pause where she believes she is out of sight. She quickly and secretly pulls out her phone, her thumb flying across the screen. The small, reflexive gesture is as loud as a gunshot, instantly shattering the fragile peace and plunging Owen right back into the familiar, agonizing territory of doubt and suspicion.
## Character Breakdown
* **OWEN (30s):** Observant, anxious, and deeply loving, but his love is filtered through the lens of past trauma. He functions as the "stage manager" of Sasha's recovery, a role that forces him into a state of constant, exhausting vigilance. His cynicism is a shield, but it also prevents him from experiencing genuine connection.
* **SASHA (30s):** Hopeful, charming, and desperate for a clean slate. She is actively trying to embody recovery, both for Owen and for herself. It remains ambiguous how much of her wellness is authentic and how much is a fragile performance designed to hold their world together.
* **Psychological Arc (Owen):**
* **State at start:** Hyper-vigilant and emotionally guarded, unable to be present as he constantly scans Sasha for signs of deception, living in a state of perpetual, low-grade anxiety.
* **State at end:** Devastated and thrown back into profound uncertainty. The brief, beautiful moment of surrendering to hope makes its sudden destruction all the more devastating, leaving him utterly isolated in his suspicion once more.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE CONSERVATORY - A FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE:** Owen and Sasha celebrate 60 days of sobriety in a vibrant, orderly glasshouse. The external beauty contrasts with Owen's internal monologue, which reveals his intense scrutiny of Sasha's every move. He sees her health and happiness as a flawless, but possibly hollow, performance.
2. **THE POND - THE ARCHITECTURE OF HOPE:** They sit by a tranquil pond in the Japanese garden. Sasha proposes the "geographic cure"—moving away to start over. Owen is immediately skeptical, recognizing it as a familiar fantasy born of desperation.
3. **THE PLEA - A CRACK IN THE WALL:** Sasha pushes back, insisting her plan is real. Her urgent, pleading sincerity and her question—"Don't you want that? A real life?"—begin to dismantle Owen's cynical defenses. He feels her clammy hand, a sign of her own anxiety.
4. **THE SURRENDER - A MOMENT OF TRUCE:** Looking at her hopeful face, Owen makes a conscious choice. He lets go of his doubt and agrees. "Yes, I want that." Relief washes over Sasha. They share a genuine kiss, and for the first time, Owen’s mind is quiet. He allows himself to believe.
5. **THE PATH - THE SECRET GESTURE:** Sasha excuses herself to the restroom. Owen watches her walk away, feeling a pure, uncomplicated love. Just as she rounds a bend, thinking she's unseen, she pulls out her phone. Her head drops, her thumb moves in a quick, secret flurry. The gesture is small, but it shatters the perfect moment completely, confirming Owen's deepest fears and ending the day's fragile truce.
## Visual Style & Tone
The film will employ a naturalistic, intimate visual style. The camera will often be tight on the characters, using a shallow depth of field to emphasize Owen's obsessive focus on Sasha's micro-expressions and gestures. The lush, vibrant colors of the conservatory will contrast sharply with the crisp, muted palette of the autumn garden, mirroring the shift from a performed fantasy to a harsh reality.
The tone is quiet, tense, and melancholic, designed to make the audience feel as if they are holding their breath alongside Owen. It aligns with the raw emotional intimacy and observational focus of films like *Blue Valentine* or *Pieces of a Woman*, combined with the quiet, psychological dread of a grounded *Black Mirror* episode. Sound design will be critical, amplifying small, significant sounds—the crunch of gravel, a sharp inhale, the subtle tap of a phone screen—to heighten the pervasive tension.