The July Frost
A freak summer cold front descends on Winnipeg, freezing time and tempers in the Exchange District. When a frantic stranger leaves something behind in Bernie’s shop, the unseasonable chill turns into a quiet hunt for a missing piece of someone's life.
# The July Frost
## Logline
On a freakishly cold July day, a cynical antique shop owner and her friend brave a sleet storm to return a lost envelope, discovering it holds the key to a new beginning for a desperate young man and his recovering brother.
## Synopsis
The story is set in Winnipeg during a bizarre and unseasonal hailstorm in the middle of July. BERNIE, the pragmatic and quietly empathetic owner of a cluttered antique and second-hand shop called 'The Retrieval,' is closing up against the shrieking wind. Her friend SAM, a more openly pessimistic architect, is already inside, complaining about the miserable weather and its effect on her car, her tomato plants, and her general sense of hope. The atmosphere is bleak, mirroring the bruised-plum color of the sky.
Their gloomy quiet is shattered when BEN, a soaking-wet and frantic man in his late twenties, bursts into the shop. He is in a state of extreme panic, searching for a canvas bag he believes he left in the shop's reading nook two days prior. He claims its contents are "everything." Bernie searches, but finds nothing. Utterly defeated and on the verge of tears, Ben stumbles back out into the storm, a picture of absolute despair.
Haunted by the man's desperation, Bernie can't let it go. She goes to the green velvet chair where Ben said he was sitting and, on a whim, tips it over. Wedged underneath is not a bag, but a thick, sealed envelope. Urged on by Sam, who argues that the man's crisis outweighs his privacy, Bernie opens it. Inside, they find an old polaroid of a smiling woman holding a large fish, with "The dream. 1998." written on it, and a single key on a plastic tag labeled: "Unit 402. The Albert."
They realize "The Albert" is a newly renovated subsidized housing block. The key isn't for Ben's lost possessions; it's the key to a home. They understand his panic was not for himself, but for someone else. Compelled to act, they decide they must find him.
Bernie and Sam race out into the worsening storm. Sam's battered car miraculously starts, and they begin to patrol the grey, rain-lashed streets. They find Ben hunched over on a bus stop bench, a figure of pure misery, having given up. Bernie runs to him and hands him the envelope. Overwhelmed with relief, Ben explains the key is for his brother, Leo, who is being released from a six-month rehab program that very day. Ben had promised to have the new apartment ready, and losing the key felt like a catastrophic failure—a sign that his brother would think he'd been abandoned.
Bernie and Sam drive the shivering but grateful Ben to The Albert. He thanks them profusely before running inside, key in hand, ready to fulfill his promise. As they drive back, the mood in the car has lifted. The selfless act has created a pocket of warmth against the oppressive cold.
Back at 'The Retrieval,' the storm still rages, but the atmosphere inside is transformed. Bernie makes coffee, the cheerful whistle of the kettle cutting through the silence. The small, quiet act of kindness has reaffirmed the power of human connection, proving that even on the coldest, darkest day, a little bit of warmth can be retrieved.
## Character Breakdown
* **BERNIE (40s):** The owner of 'The Retrieval.' She is pragmatic, a bit world-weary, and surrounds herself with forgotten things. Beneath her reserved exterior lies a deep well of empathy and a desire to fix what is broken, whether it's a frayed lamp cord or a person's hope.
* **SAM (30s):** An architect and Bernie's close friend. She is more expressive and outwardly cynical, using dramatic complaints as a defense against the world's absurdities. She is the catalyst who pushes Bernie to act, her pragmatism giving way to a fierce loyalty and sense of justice.
* **BEN (Late 20s):** A young man burdened by immense responsibility. He appears frantic and disheveled, but his panic is born from a profound love for his brother and the terror of letting him down at a critical moment. He is a good person having the worst day of his life.
## Scene Beats
1. **The Storm:** Bernie locks her shop, "The Retrieval," against a violent and unseasonal July sleet storm. The mood is oppressive and cold.
2. **Dying Hope:** Inside, Bernie and her friend Sam drink tea. Sam laments the weather, her failing car, and her dying tomato plants, declaring it a day where everything, including hope, is dying.
3. **The Intrusion:** A soaking-wet and frantic man, BEN, bursts in. He desperately searches for a canvas bag he lost in the shop two days ago.
4. **The Departure:** Bernie can't find the bag. Utterly defeated, Ben apologizes and leaves, walking back into the miserable storm.
5. **The Discovery:** Troubled by his despair, Bernie checks the reading nook again. She tips over the chair and finds a thick, sealed envelope wedged in the frame.
6. **The Reveal:** Sam convinces a hesitant Bernie to open the private envelope. Inside is a key to an apartment in a subsidized housing block and an old polaroid.
7. **The Realization:** They deduce the key is for Ben's brother, who is getting out of rehab today. The lost item wasn't just a bag; it was a promise of a new home.
8. **The Mission:** Bernie and Sam decide they have to find him. They run through the sleet to Sam's unreliable car, which miraculously starts.
9. **The Search:** They drive through the desolate, rain-swept streets of the Exchange District, searching for Ben.
10. **The Rescue:** They spot Ben, a defeated shape hunched on a bus stop bench, having given up. Bernie runs to him with the envelope.
11. **The Story:** Ben, overcome with relief, explains the key is for his brother, Leo. He was terrified Leo would think he'd been abandoned.
12. **The Delivery:** They drive Ben to the apartment building. He thanks them, his hope restored, and runs inside to prepare for his brother's arrival.
13. **The Return:** The mood in the car is lighter as they drive back. The act of helping has warmed them against the external cold.
14. **The Sanctuary:** Back in the shop, the storm continues outside. Bernie puts the kettle on. The simple, warm act feels like a small but significant victory against the bleakness of the day.
## Visual Style
* **Color Palette:** A study in contrasts. The exteriors are dominated by a desaturated, cold palette of bruised purples, slate greys, and wet asphalt blues. This is sharply contrasted with the interior of 'The Retrieval,' which is a cluttered sanctuary of warm, deep tones—aged wood, faded velvet greens and reds, and the soft glow of brass.
* **Lighting:** Naturalistic and moody. The outdoor scenes are flat and overcast, emphasizing the oppressive gloom. Inside the shop, the lighting is practical and warm, coming from vintage lamps that create pools of light and deep, soft shadows. The final scene should feel particularly warm and high-contrast, a haven against the dark outside.
* **Cinematography:** Intimate and grounded. The camera should feel close to the characters, using handheld or Steadicam movements to enhance the sense of immediacy and realism. Shallow depth of field will isolate the characters within the cluttered shop. Extreme close-ups will be used to capture the texture of the rain on the glass, the crumbling wax seal, and the raw emotion on the characters' faces.
* **Overall Mood:** A piece of quiet social realism infused with gentle hope. The style should be gritty and authentic, capturing the physical and emotional coldness of the day, while ultimately focusing on the profound warmth generated by a single act of human kindness. It is a story about finding shelter from the storm, both literal and metaphorical.
## Logline
On a freakishly cold July day, a cynical antique shop owner and her friend brave a sleet storm to return a lost envelope, discovering it holds the key to a new beginning for a desperate young man and his recovering brother.
## Synopsis
The story is set in Winnipeg during a bizarre and unseasonal hailstorm in the middle of July. BERNIE, the pragmatic and quietly empathetic owner of a cluttered antique and second-hand shop called 'The Retrieval,' is closing up against the shrieking wind. Her friend SAM, a more openly pessimistic architect, is already inside, complaining about the miserable weather and its effect on her car, her tomato plants, and her general sense of hope. The atmosphere is bleak, mirroring the bruised-plum color of the sky.
Their gloomy quiet is shattered when BEN, a soaking-wet and frantic man in his late twenties, bursts into the shop. He is in a state of extreme panic, searching for a canvas bag he believes he left in the shop's reading nook two days prior. He claims its contents are "everything." Bernie searches, but finds nothing. Utterly defeated and on the verge of tears, Ben stumbles back out into the storm, a picture of absolute despair.
Haunted by the man's desperation, Bernie can't let it go. She goes to the green velvet chair where Ben said he was sitting and, on a whim, tips it over. Wedged underneath is not a bag, but a thick, sealed envelope. Urged on by Sam, who argues that the man's crisis outweighs his privacy, Bernie opens it. Inside, they find an old polaroid of a smiling woman holding a large fish, with "The dream. 1998." written on it, and a single key on a plastic tag labeled: "Unit 402. The Albert."
They realize "The Albert" is a newly renovated subsidized housing block. The key isn't for Ben's lost possessions; it's the key to a home. They understand his panic was not for himself, but for someone else. Compelled to act, they decide they must find him.
Bernie and Sam race out into the worsening storm. Sam's battered car miraculously starts, and they begin to patrol the grey, rain-lashed streets. They find Ben hunched over on a bus stop bench, a figure of pure misery, having given up. Bernie runs to him and hands him the envelope. Overwhelmed with relief, Ben explains the key is for his brother, Leo, who is being released from a six-month rehab program that very day. Ben had promised to have the new apartment ready, and losing the key felt like a catastrophic failure—a sign that his brother would think he'd been abandoned.
Bernie and Sam drive the shivering but grateful Ben to The Albert. He thanks them profusely before running inside, key in hand, ready to fulfill his promise. As they drive back, the mood in the car has lifted. The selfless act has created a pocket of warmth against the oppressive cold.
Back at 'The Retrieval,' the storm still rages, but the atmosphere inside is transformed. Bernie makes coffee, the cheerful whistle of the kettle cutting through the silence. The small, quiet act of kindness has reaffirmed the power of human connection, proving that even on the coldest, darkest day, a little bit of warmth can be retrieved.
## Character Breakdown
* **BERNIE (40s):** The owner of 'The Retrieval.' She is pragmatic, a bit world-weary, and surrounds herself with forgotten things. Beneath her reserved exterior lies a deep well of empathy and a desire to fix what is broken, whether it's a frayed lamp cord or a person's hope.
* **SAM (30s):** An architect and Bernie's close friend. She is more expressive and outwardly cynical, using dramatic complaints as a defense against the world's absurdities. She is the catalyst who pushes Bernie to act, her pragmatism giving way to a fierce loyalty and sense of justice.
* **BEN (Late 20s):** A young man burdened by immense responsibility. He appears frantic and disheveled, but his panic is born from a profound love for his brother and the terror of letting him down at a critical moment. He is a good person having the worst day of his life.
## Scene Beats
1. **The Storm:** Bernie locks her shop, "The Retrieval," against a violent and unseasonal July sleet storm. The mood is oppressive and cold.
2. **Dying Hope:** Inside, Bernie and her friend Sam drink tea. Sam laments the weather, her failing car, and her dying tomato plants, declaring it a day where everything, including hope, is dying.
3. **The Intrusion:** A soaking-wet and frantic man, BEN, bursts in. He desperately searches for a canvas bag he lost in the shop two days ago.
4. **The Departure:** Bernie can't find the bag. Utterly defeated, Ben apologizes and leaves, walking back into the miserable storm.
5. **The Discovery:** Troubled by his despair, Bernie checks the reading nook again. She tips over the chair and finds a thick, sealed envelope wedged in the frame.
6. **The Reveal:** Sam convinces a hesitant Bernie to open the private envelope. Inside is a key to an apartment in a subsidized housing block and an old polaroid.
7. **The Realization:** They deduce the key is for Ben's brother, who is getting out of rehab today. The lost item wasn't just a bag; it was a promise of a new home.
8. **The Mission:** Bernie and Sam decide they have to find him. They run through the sleet to Sam's unreliable car, which miraculously starts.
9. **The Search:** They drive through the desolate, rain-swept streets of the Exchange District, searching for Ben.
10. **The Rescue:** They spot Ben, a defeated shape hunched on a bus stop bench, having given up. Bernie runs to him with the envelope.
11. **The Story:** Ben, overcome with relief, explains the key is for his brother, Leo. He was terrified Leo would think he'd been abandoned.
12. **The Delivery:** They drive Ben to the apartment building. He thanks them, his hope restored, and runs inside to prepare for his brother's arrival.
13. **The Return:** The mood in the car is lighter as they drive back. The act of helping has warmed them against the external cold.
14. **The Sanctuary:** Back in the shop, the storm continues outside. Bernie puts the kettle on. The simple, warm act feels like a small but significant victory against the bleakness of the day.
## Visual Style
* **Color Palette:** A study in contrasts. The exteriors are dominated by a desaturated, cold palette of bruised purples, slate greys, and wet asphalt blues. This is sharply contrasted with the interior of 'The Retrieval,' which is a cluttered sanctuary of warm, deep tones—aged wood, faded velvet greens and reds, and the soft glow of brass.
* **Lighting:** Naturalistic and moody. The outdoor scenes are flat and overcast, emphasizing the oppressive gloom. Inside the shop, the lighting is practical and warm, coming from vintage lamps that create pools of light and deep, soft shadows. The final scene should feel particularly warm and high-contrast, a haven against the dark outside.
* **Cinematography:** Intimate and grounded. The camera should feel close to the characters, using handheld or Steadicam movements to enhance the sense of immediacy and realism. Shallow depth of field will isolate the characters within the cluttered shop. Extreme close-ups will be used to capture the texture of the rain on the glass, the crumbling wax seal, and the raw emotion on the characters' faces.
* **Overall Mood:** A piece of quiet social realism infused with gentle hope. The style should be gritty and authentic, capturing the physical and emotional coldness of the day, while ultimately focusing on the profound warmth generated by a single act of human kindness. It is a story about finding shelter from the storm, both literal and metaphorical.