The Hiss of Static and Dry Canola
Stranded by a failing engine on a desolate Saskatchewan highway, two friends are forced to confront the wreckage of a shared business venture and the resentments that have festered for years.
# The Hiss of Static and Dry Canola
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
Stranded by a broken-down car in the vast, empty prairies, two friends are forced to confront how a past failed business venture has corroded their relationship beyond repair.
## Themes
* **The Weight of Past Failures:** How unresolved financial and emotional debts from the past poison the present.
* **Pragmatism vs. Blind Optimism:** The destructive conflict between a grounded, realistic worldview and one based on belief and charisma without substance.
* **The Erosion of Friendship:** An exploration of how broken trust and mismatched ambition can curdle a long-term bond into resentment.
* **Isolation and Confrontation:** The use of a vast, empty landscape as a crucible, forcing characters into a conversation they can no longer escape.
## Stakes
The survival of their decade-long friendship is at stake, as the physical isolation forces a long-overdue emotional reckoning that could sever their bond for good.
## Synopsis
TRISTAN and ANDY are stranded in their dead 1998 Civic on a desolate highway, surrounded by an endless sea of yellow canola fields. The oppressive silence in the car mirrors the unspoken tension between them, which finally breaks when Tristan connects their current predicament to their last one: a disastrously failed business venture.
The business, "Urban Lure," was Andy's brainchild—artisanal fishing lures that shed glitter. Tristan, who funded the project with his student loan, bitterly recalls the fundamental design flaw Andy refused to see. The argument escalates until Andy, unable to face the criticism, decides to walk miles to a distant grain elevator in the punishing heat, hoping to find a phone.
Despite his fury, Tristan follows, bringing Andy a bottle of water. As they walk, the argument resumes with raw intensity. Tristan confronts Andy for not testing the product and for lying to him. Andy finally breaks, admitting he didn't test the sealant because he wanted to believe the supplier and was desperate for the idea to work. This confession isn't an apology but an admission of his fundamental nature—he operates on belief, not facts.
As the sun begins to set, the tow truck hasn't arrived, and the grain elevator seems no closer. The admission hangs between them, offering no resolution. They are left two small, isolated figures in an indifferent landscape, their friendship as broken as their car.
## Character Breakdown
* **TRISTAN (20s):** The pragmatist. Grounded, cynical, and nursing a deep resentment over being burned by his friend's recklessness. He is the one who deals with consequences, and his patience has finally run out. He feels betrayed not just financially, but by Andy's refusal to acknowledge reality.
* **Psychological Arc:** Tristan begins in a state of simmering, sarcastic anger, using bitterness as a shield. Through the confrontation, he moves from wanting an apology to needing an admission of fault. When he finally gets it, he finds no satisfaction, only the weary, painful clarity that his friend is incapable of change, leaving him to quietly accept the death of their friendship.
* **ANDY (20s):** The dreamer. Charismatic, optimistic to a fault, and allergic to detail and accountability. He lives in a world of big ideas and grand pitches, always believing the next one will be the one that works. He avoids conflict by pushing forward, often with disastrous results for those around him.
## Scene Beats
1. **STATIC SILENCE:** Inside the dead car. The heat is oppressive. Andy’s attempt at optimism is cut down by Tristan's sharp, cynical realism.
2. **THE GHOST OF A SIGNAL:** Andy reveals he called a tow truck by standing on the roof to catch a single bar of reception—a moment of his signature, impractical resourcefulness.
3. **THE LURE:** Tristan brings up their failed business, "Urban Lure." The unspoken tension erupts into an open argument.
4. **DISCO TROUT:** The argument deepens. Tristan details the fatal flaw of the product—glitter that fell off—while Andy dismisses it as a "production hiccup." The memory of wasted money and effort is palpable.
5. **THE ESCAPE:** Overwhelmed, Andy gets out of the car and declares he's walking to a distant grain elevator, an act of pointless forward momentum.
6. **THE TRUCE:** Tristan watches him go, a mix of anger and pity. He grabs two bottles of water from the boot and follows. He hands one to Andy; a momentary, unspoken acknowledgment of their shared history.
7. **THE LONG WALK:** As they walk along the gravel shoulder, the grain elevator seems to get no closer. The vastness of the landscape amplifies their conflict.
8. **THE CONFRONTATION:** Tristan's anger boils over. He accuses Andy of not doing his due diligence and lying directly to him about testing the product before they invested the last of his money.
9. **THE CONFESSION:** Andy stops. He quietly admits he didn't test it. He confesses he simply *believed* it would work because he wanted it to so badly. This is the heart of their entire conflict.
10. **THE FADE OUT:** The sun sets. The confession offers no catharsis. They are still stranded, two figures dwarfed by the landscape, the silence between them now heavy with a final, bitter understanding.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will be naturalistic and stark, emphasizing the oppressive environment. Wide, static shots will capture the immense, flat landscape, dwarfing the characters and underscoring their emotional and physical isolation. The colour palette will be dominated by the hyper-saturated yellow of the canola, the pale, washed-out blue of the sky, and the shimmering grey of the asphalt. Handheld close-ups will be used inside the car to create a claustrophobic, intimate tension, focusing on beads of sweat and strained expressions.
The tone is melancholic and tense, a slow-burn character study. It is a quiet, simmering drama where the dialogue is sharp and the subtext is heavy. Tonal comparisons: The contained, masculine tension of *Hell or High Water* meets the existential isolation of *Gerry*. It aligns with the grounded, psychologically-driven stories found in anthology series like *Room 104* or *High Maintenance*.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
Stranded by a broken-down car in the vast, empty prairies, two friends are forced to confront how a past failed business venture has corroded their relationship beyond repair.
## Themes
* **The Weight of Past Failures:** How unresolved financial and emotional debts from the past poison the present.
* **Pragmatism vs. Blind Optimism:** The destructive conflict between a grounded, realistic worldview and one based on belief and charisma without substance.
* **The Erosion of Friendship:** An exploration of how broken trust and mismatched ambition can curdle a long-term bond into resentment.
* **Isolation and Confrontation:** The use of a vast, empty landscape as a crucible, forcing characters into a conversation they can no longer escape.
## Stakes
The survival of their decade-long friendship is at stake, as the physical isolation forces a long-overdue emotional reckoning that could sever their bond for good.
## Synopsis
TRISTAN and ANDY are stranded in their dead 1998 Civic on a desolate highway, surrounded by an endless sea of yellow canola fields. The oppressive silence in the car mirrors the unspoken tension between them, which finally breaks when Tristan connects their current predicament to their last one: a disastrously failed business venture.
The business, "Urban Lure," was Andy's brainchild—artisanal fishing lures that shed glitter. Tristan, who funded the project with his student loan, bitterly recalls the fundamental design flaw Andy refused to see. The argument escalates until Andy, unable to face the criticism, decides to walk miles to a distant grain elevator in the punishing heat, hoping to find a phone.
Despite his fury, Tristan follows, bringing Andy a bottle of water. As they walk, the argument resumes with raw intensity. Tristan confronts Andy for not testing the product and for lying to him. Andy finally breaks, admitting he didn't test the sealant because he wanted to believe the supplier and was desperate for the idea to work. This confession isn't an apology but an admission of his fundamental nature—he operates on belief, not facts.
As the sun begins to set, the tow truck hasn't arrived, and the grain elevator seems no closer. The admission hangs between them, offering no resolution. They are left two small, isolated figures in an indifferent landscape, their friendship as broken as their car.
## Character Breakdown
* **TRISTAN (20s):** The pragmatist. Grounded, cynical, and nursing a deep resentment over being burned by his friend's recklessness. He is the one who deals with consequences, and his patience has finally run out. He feels betrayed not just financially, but by Andy's refusal to acknowledge reality.
* **Psychological Arc:** Tristan begins in a state of simmering, sarcastic anger, using bitterness as a shield. Through the confrontation, he moves from wanting an apology to needing an admission of fault. When he finally gets it, he finds no satisfaction, only the weary, painful clarity that his friend is incapable of change, leaving him to quietly accept the death of their friendship.
* **ANDY (20s):** The dreamer. Charismatic, optimistic to a fault, and allergic to detail and accountability. He lives in a world of big ideas and grand pitches, always believing the next one will be the one that works. He avoids conflict by pushing forward, often with disastrous results for those around him.
## Scene Beats
1. **STATIC SILENCE:** Inside the dead car. The heat is oppressive. Andy’s attempt at optimism is cut down by Tristan's sharp, cynical realism.
2. **THE GHOST OF A SIGNAL:** Andy reveals he called a tow truck by standing on the roof to catch a single bar of reception—a moment of his signature, impractical resourcefulness.
3. **THE LURE:** Tristan brings up their failed business, "Urban Lure." The unspoken tension erupts into an open argument.
4. **DISCO TROUT:** The argument deepens. Tristan details the fatal flaw of the product—glitter that fell off—while Andy dismisses it as a "production hiccup." The memory of wasted money and effort is palpable.
5. **THE ESCAPE:** Overwhelmed, Andy gets out of the car and declares he's walking to a distant grain elevator, an act of pointless forward momentum.
6. **THE TRUCE:** Tristan watches him go, a mix of anger and pity. He grabs two bottles of water from the boot and follows. He hands one to Andy; a momentary, unspoken acknowledgment of their shared history.
7. **THE LONG WALK:** As they walk along the gravel shoulder, the grain elevator seems to get no closer. The vastness of the landscape amplifies their conflict.
8. **THE CONFRONTATION:** Tristan's anger boils over. He accuses Andy of not doing his due diligence and lying directly to him about testing the product before they invested the last of his money.
9. **THE CONFESSION:** Andy stops. He quietly admits he didn't test it. He confesses he simply *believed* it would work because he wanted it to so badly. This is the heart of their entire conflict.
10. **THE FADE OUT:** The sun sets. The confession offers no catharsis. They are still stranded, two figures dwarfed by the landscape, the silence between them now heavy with a final, bitter understanding.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will be naturalistic and stark, emphasizing the oppressive environment. Wide, static shots will capture the immense, flat landscape, dwarfing the characters and underscoring their emotional and physical isolation. The colour palette will be dominated by the hyper-saturated yellow of the canola, the pale, washed-out blue of the sky, and the shimmering grey of the asphalt. Handheld close-ups will be used inside the car to create a claustrophobic, intimate tension, focusing on beads of sweat and strained expressions.
The tone is melancholic and tense, a slow-burn character study. It is a quiet, simmering drama where the dialogue is sharp and the subtext is heavy. Tonal comparisons: The contained, masculine tension of *Hell or High Water* meets the existential isolation of *Gerry*. It aligns with the grounded, psychologically-driven stories found in anthology series like *Room 104* or *High Maintenance*.