The Weighing Room

Description

Set in 1901, this dark historical mystery opens in a converted nursing home where terminally ill millionaire Rupert Manningtree has admitted himself into the clinic in the hope it might not be too late to save his soul. Son Peter – disinherited for earlier indiscretions - waits in the hallway with nurse April as Doctor Duncan MacDougall leads Rupert into his bedroom. Out of their view , Peter and April launch into a passionate kiss, excited how their plan of fleecing Rupert of his millions is nearing completion. However, as the pair will discover, the course of deception is not without its twists and turns. We believe this film with it small cast (4 actors) and limited interior set construction (bedroom, weighing room and adjoining corridor) will be easily produced within budget. Director and filmmaker Matt Jamie has experience in producing a wide range of quality shorts since 2008 that include music promos, dance films, documentaries and fiction narrative. Writer Bob Eckhard is a previous Pitch finalist who is currently working with mentors Hayley McKenzie (Script Angel) and David Mansell (Red Rock) to develop two TV series. As filmmakers, we are happy to work with contacts suggested by the Pitch.

Biblical Connection

This dark reimagining of a historical event is inspired by verses in the Bible in which Jesus claims that each person possesses a soul - a spiritual conduit between humans and God which, dependent on decisions taken in life, may or may not be lost from them before the point of death. The verse is found in the gospels of Matthew (16v26) and Mark (8 v36-37) in which Jesus questions: ‘What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?’ Over the years, the idea that humans possess a soul which may be lost has inspired many artistic endavours. These include Goethe and Marlowe whose classics (Faust and Doctor Faustus respectively) major on a man who makes a pact with the devil in exchange for wealth only to later face the eternal consequence of this decision. In a different way, the research of Dr Duncan MacDougall (1866-1920) into the soul’s existence is most likely to have been motivated by these same verses which provides the platform for the pitch we bring.