Not Us

'Not Us' is a raw, emotional ensemble drama following four teens—Jamal, Emilia, Wilbert, and Audrey—who meet at a youth rehabilitation program. Each arrives carrying a storm: Jamal hides bruises from a fractured home, Emilia evades ICE while feeding her siblings, Wilbert battles identity under the rule of a conservative father, and Audrey masks her privilege with pills and perfection. Their lives slowly interlock as they’re forced to confront who they are, how they got here, and whether the world will ever allow them to be free.

What begins as punishment becomes resistance—against generational trauma, broken systems, and inherited shame. The title 'Not Us' is a double entendre: a declaration from youth refusing to be stereotypes and a haunting question—how can this be the 'land of the free'? Not this system. Not this silence. Not this suffering. Not us.

  • Kenye De'one Rollins
    Writer
    Grandma's Sweet Potato Pie
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Number of Pages:
    147
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Texas Southern University
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Writer Biography - Kenye De'one Rollins

Kenye Rollins is a 21-year-old Texas Southern University student majoring in sociology, with a deep-rooted passion for storytelling that captures the nuances of society and its impact on Black culture. Growing up in Silsbee, a small Texas town, Kenye developed an early awareness of how environment and community shape identity. That perspective fuels his creative work today, where he blends academic insight with a storyteller's heart to explore generational cycles, social systems, and the lived realities
of Black communities. Whether through film, writing, or public speaking, Kenye is committed to using narrative as a tool for reflection, empowerment, and change.

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Writer Statement

As a sociology student and storyteller, I believe film is one of the most powerful tools for examining the structures that shape our lives. 'Not Us' is not just a screenplay—it is a cinematic case study. Each named character serves as a reflection of a different systemic burden: immigration, generational trauma, poverty, policing, homophobia, and privilege.

Not Us isn’t just the next film I want to make—it’s the film I need to make. As a storyteller rooted in sociology, I’ve spent years studying the systems that shape our lives. As a Black Southern filmmaker, I’ve lived through many of them. Not Us is where those two roads meet.

This script was born from observing the real stories unfolding around me—kids criminalized for being poor, for being undocumented, for being too quiet, too loud, too queer, too Black. Every character is a study in survival. Every scene is stitched with truth. I didn’t write this film to offer an answer, but to ask the right questions: What happens when healing is punished? When silence is protection? When the system is the villain?

Every Character Is a Case Study
- Jamal: The son of addiction and abandonment, learning to break generational cycles.
- Emilia: A working-class undocumented teen balancing survival and silence.
- Wilbert: A queer Southern boy drowning in silence under a conservative roof.
- Audrey: A girl born into privilege but emotionally neglected—wrestling with inherited guilt.
- Each youth’s story isn’t just fictional—it’s a dramatized sociological profile.
Every named character in 'Not Us' offers a layered, emotionally demanding role. From Ms. Go to Hank, from T’Layiah to Sonia—these are roles that challenge, transform, and spotlight emerging talent. The script offers rare opportunities for a fully diverse ensemble cast to shine across age, race, and identity.

- Jamal: A protector shaped by pain. His arc is about redefining manhood and choosing empathy over violence.
- Emilia: A fighter buried by duty. Her arc is about surrendering silence and learning to accept help.
- Wilbert: A quiet creator under siege. His arc is about reclaiming expression and rejecting shame.
- Audrey: A privileged outsider unraveling. Her arc is about shedding perfection, confronting guilt, and becoming an ally.

I don’t write villains—I write systems. The true antagonist of 'Not Us' isn’t a person but a network: poverty, racism, family cycles, immigration law, and performative allyship. Every character who causes harm—Hank, Big Joe, ICE, Mike at the store—is not cartoonishly evil, but shaped by their conditioning. The story challenges the audience to question what happens when we stop blaming individuals and start dismantling environments.