Secrets Rising

Click for : .pdf of full screenplay

WHERE THE PAST MEETS THE PRESENT

Set mainly in circa 2010 with a few scenes in the late 1930's, this family mystery has its roots in a simple mistake made by a young woman in 1938. Plenty of twists and turns bring the past face-to-face with the present.

The protagonist is a very sprightly 89-year-old woman, Patricia who is pursued by her son-in-law, a psychopath who physically and emotionally abuses everybody around him. He rapes and murders to achieve his goal.

On the coming of age of Patricia's granddaughter, Sonnet, a relatively minor (as it turns out) family secret rises. In order to resolve the fallout caused by this secret, Patricia travels with a family friend from England to the south of France and on to Corsica.

Soon an even bigger secret rises from out of the past. This secret, weighed down with guilt, taboo and great sadness, threatens to tear the family apart. Patricia's husband of 50 years demands a divorce, but refuses to explain why.

Joseph, the psychopathic son-in-law, will lose out financially because of the exposure of the minor family secret. In his delusional state, he believes that he can cover up the secret by killing all who stand in his way.

Ironically, Patricia’s need to resolve the much bigger secret thwarts Joseph’s plans. Her travel movements and the new friends she makes on her quest keep her just beyond his grasp. 

His failures tip him into insanity. He conducts a number of horrific acts and never waivers in his belief in his "rights".

This is a very visually rich story, both in its physical settings and because Patricia is one of the twentieth century's foremost trompe l'oeil painters. Her home is full of images that "trick the eye".

The settings in the south of France (Orange and Corsica) are specific and important to the historical plot content. The UK settings, (Gatwick airport and Oxfordshire) are arbitrary and could easily be adapted to take place in northern France.