Come to the Water
an original suspense thriller
When a biological attack throws the world into chaos, a single father must confront his past in order to protect his sick daughter from the deadly ‘Poisoned’.
• page 56 •
they’re here…
Suddenly, a man bursts from the woods, the same man from the bear trap. Relief washes over his face as he spots the river. As he lunges from the bank toward the water, he is ripped backward into the woods. Gone.
synopsis
After a series of biological attacks create a dangerous race of ‘poisoned’, survivors must flee the land and find safety on water. Paul and his teenage daughter, Emma, seek refuge on the family houseboat in the middle of a remote lake. When they arrive, they discover they aren’t alone. Paul’s estranged brother, Charlie, had the same idea.
As kids, Paul and Charlie were inseparable but, over the years, bitterness drove them apart. For nearly 15 years, Paul has blamed Charlie for the loss of his unborn child and the divorce that followed. He’s hidden the truth about the accident and its aftermath from Emma, wanting to spare her from the influence of his brother. Now, forced to live in close quarters, Paul pushes aside his resentment toward Charlie to focus on another problem: Emma is running out of her asthma medicine. Without it, she won’t be able to breathe.
Paul hears of a supply of medicine at the military base 3 days’ drive away. After an attempt to travel there goes horribly wrong and results in an attack by the 'Poisoned,’ Paul’s hopes of leaving the lake are shattered.
Emma and Paul’s relationship grows increasingly strained and, with the whereabouts of her mother still unknown, Emma connects with Diane, a kindly old neighbor on the lake’s only other houseboat. But Diane harbors a dangerous secret and the lake isn’t the sanctuary that it seems to be.
Now, with the ‘Poisoned’ moving closer and the safety of their home slipping away, the family will have to work together and overcome the bitterness that has plagued them if they want to survive.
• page 82 •
Paul continues…
…but there’s no response. He sits quietly as tears form in his eyes. He watches his daughter lying on the bed helpless. He wipes away the tears and presses the bag once again.
characters
Paul (Male, 40s)
Before the bombings, Paul Anstruther was in marketing—skills that are of no help to him in the cold world he now finds himself. He’s father to 16 year-old Emma, still working through the “is it my weekend?” arrangement with his estranged wife, who left him over what she called “irreconcilable differences.” Paul became emotionally distant. Proud. Generally a hard man. Makes sense, though…
Paul had a tough childhood; dad was a drunk and didn't pull his punches, literally. He spent most of his childhood trying to protect his younger brother, Charlie, but the moment he could leave, he did. His is a life marked by making the best of every tragedy. And there are a lot of tragedies. But one outweighs the rest: a memory he won't speak of, which inevitably drives a wedge into his relationships, and is now happening with his daughter.
Now, all Paul wants is to protect Emma, but he will have to confront the pain of his past if he can hope to survive the dangers around every turn.
Charlie (Male, 30s)
Charlie Anstruther has gone from temp job to temp job, crappy apartment to crappy apartment, and city to city since he left home at 16. Now his motorcycle license (expired) says Tempe, Arizona but last anyone heard he was in east Texas.
Growing up, Charlie loved being the little brother to Paul. The way Charlie tells it, they had plans to leave together, drive out to California and make their dreams come true. But Paul “abandoned” him to take the brunt of their father’s abuse.
What started as rebellion turned into addiction and then the tragedy that defines his and Paul's lives. Charlie fought to turn his life around but his scars weren’t all healed when the bombs dropped. In order to be fully free from his past and from the Poisoned, he’ll have to face the deepest wound of all.
Emma (Female, mid-teens)
In the span of a couple days, everything that’s important to Emma has been taken away: her school, her friends, her music, her entire life disappeared when the bombs went off. She’s no stranger to ugly transition, though. Even though her parents tried to give her a safe, steady life, the cracks started to show long before they separated.
If Emma struggled to find her place before, it’s even harder now. With no one to talk to, no connection to the outside world, and no f%*king idea when she’s going to get her life back, she’s worried. Worried about her mom. Worried about her asthma, and worried, most of all, that this is what’s left for her life: trapped on a tiny houseboat with the one half of her parents that never saw her as anything but “a kid.”
Diane (Female, 60s-70s)
Diane didn’t used to be the “crazy old lady on the lake.” As a young mother, she and her family were whole, happy, and a fixture in the little community that called the lake their home. The lake made sense for her: she’s never liked too many people and her anxiety often got the better of her.
But what used to be a simple, quiet life of her own turned into crushing isolation. So when young Emma appears on the lake, Diane sees a bit of her daughter, Gwen, in her and opens up her heart a bit.
Diane loves her daughter more than anything. She clings to hope that Gwen survived the bombings and is alive “out there”—no doubt that they will soon be reunited. And Diane will go through anything—and anyone—to make sure that happens.
• page 32 •
dark clouds roll in…
Paul looks around, inspecting the land for any poisoned. There are none in sight. He gives one final row and beaches his canoe.
Slowly and carefully, Paul places his foot onto the shore and surveys the landscape. He grips his rifle and takes another step. A branch breaks in the distance. He immediately stops, his eyes searching. Crows fly out from the trees ahead, cawing loudly.
Drops of rain build to a full shower.
visual style
The visual style will be cinematic and intimate. Wide angled lenses to capture the vast, mysterious, and dangerous landscape; while spherical (tall) lenses will allow us to be up close and intimate with the characters in the houseboat. The framing will be bold; the cinematography will be dark and moody; it will be still and then ferociously quick.
The family’s old Royal Star Houseboat is a 90s time capsule — wood paneling, lynolium, blue apolstery. Posters of Ken Griffey Jr. and Gary "The Glove" Payton are still tacked to the walls in the upper room. A VHS of The Sandlot, Goldeneye on N64, Ninja Turtles everywhere.
The Super Soakers and water balloons from the water toy bin come in handy against a villain that hates water. Though these elements are fun, they'll feel natural and inevitable. The houseboat hasn't been visited for along time. It is what it is.
The music will feel classic with themes and tension, never overwhelming the story or feeling dated. Though technically a horror film, a better description is thriller or suspense. The audience will be on the edge of their seats, but they'll be able to sleep at night. There is intensity, there are scares, but there is also humor and humanity along the way.
The moody look, vast landscapes, intimate setting, and 90s props lend themselves the both cinematic, intimate, and the playful. Pulling look inspiration from The Revenant and Children of Men, the film is aware of the harsh yet beautiful landscape while also pulling in some Goonies type nostalgia to create a fun and intriguing combination. And the drama is real as characters wrestle with bitterness and fear.
• page 20 •
mountains loom…
Mountains loom over the dense forest and calm lake. A golf ball lands in the water with a splash. Ripples cut through the glass.
Paul stands on the roof of Emma’s room and hits another golf ball into the lake.
Emma sits not far off, working on a CROSS STITCH. She glances over at Charlie asleep in his canoe. A small anchor attached to the front keeps him in place. A bird lands in the canoe. A startled Charlie sits up quickly, flinging his arms about. The bird flaps away. Emma cracks a smile before returning to her cross stitch.
comparable films
Relationship-driven, post-apocalyptic thrillers about a dangerous journey into the unknown
director + writer
Eric Esau
Eric Esau is an American film director known for the docu-narrative feature film The Heart of Man, which screened internationally in 800 theaters across 30 countries. He also directed the award-winning documentary Rape for Profit, executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Through his production company Mew Studios, he has directed documentaries and commercials for international brands like Amazon, Microsoft, and Costco.
His latest film, Saturn, an original feature which he wrote and directed, is currently in the festival circuit. For more information about Saturn and to request a screener, see below.
producers
Jason Pamer
Jason Pamer is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sypher Studios, a boutique full-content studio with offices in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Jason has produced content with Steph Curry and Jada Pinkett Smith and worked with Academy Award-winners like Laura Dern and Golden Globe winners Paul Walter Hauser, Michael C. Hall, and Annette Benning.
He's produced multiple theatrically-released documentaries with NY Times Best Selling Authors about poignant stories around human trafficking and climate change. His film, After Death, had the 3rd largest release in history for a documentary (2,745 screens) and is the highest grossing faith-based doc of all time.
Douglas Haines
As the lead producer at Mew Films, Douglas Haines helped manage the release of Rape for Profit, the award-winning documentary executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith that set the US record for dollars grossed per screen during its theatrical run.
He is also the COO at Mew Studios, a boutique commercial and creative studio that produces commercials, advertising spots, and international PR announcements for major brands in the tech sector.
Saturn, his latest film, a sci-fi drama that he co-wrote and produced, has won best-of-fest awards at festivals across the country, including screening at the Newport Beach and Heartland Film Festivals.
learn more
read the script • chat with the team
