The Encounter

A depressed widow living in the middle of nowhere finds herself forced to help a charismatic bank robber recover his booty and get vengeance against the people who betrayed him, all while hitmen, the police, and old traumas hunts them down.

  • Jerzy P. Suchocki
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Genres:
    crime, action, drama, thriller
  • Number of Pages:
    88
  • Country of Origin:
    Mexico
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Page Turner First 15

    April 15, 2023
    Quarterfinalist
Writer Biography - Jerzy P. Suchocki


Jerzy P. Suchocki is an award-winner screenwriter and director working on his first feature, a horror comedy called How to Expose Possible Vampires (And Not Get Killed in the Process).

A self-taught person, he has always been in love with films and is convinced that they are the best way to create communication and empathy among people.

Besides writing screenplays (often about delusional dreamers trying to find their place in the world), Jerzy is also a novelist and script consultant for different companies and contests.

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Writer Statement

Crime movies are a very appealing genre as they can often offer a deeper look at the complexity of the human condition while still showing a badass story. They can still provide plenty of action, but, at their core, what many of them really explore, is the human desperation or need to get out of a problematic situation. Such is the case of The Encounter.

The Encounter is a small crime drama that can be made for a low budget and that focuses on two characters – a bank robber who is trying to get back at the boss who betrayed him while searching for the money he hid before getting arrested, and the depressed widow he kidnaps. Now, while most movies would use these characters to create a love story, what The Encounter does is provide a darker look at what it would mean for someone like Kristin (the widow) to be dealing with a group of ruthless criminals who have no regard for human life. She is a person who no longer has a reason to live. She has moved to the middle of nowhere to not have to deal with anyone anymore, but can’t resist her own company either as she feels guilty for her husband’s death, and has even come to a point where she tried to kill herself. She is trying to get out of that situation and as Cobbs (the bank robber) begins to pay her for her help, she kind of starts thinking about taking advantage of that to get enough money and search for mental help… but, at the same time, as she deals with the people after Cobbs and is pushed to her limits, she also begins questioning herself what kind of person she is and if she is really willing to keep living with herself.

Therefore, even though The Encounter does have enough action sequences and some unexpected dark humor to work as an action piece, its true purpose is to explore the darkness of self-isolation, depression, and guilt. And it does so on a realistic tone that will lead to a rather grim ending, because, ultimately, crime life doesn’t pay and there is nothing romantic about it.

So, much like the 1970s New Hollywood dramas that inspired it, The Encounter will serve on two levels. One, as a minimalistic action movie that feels like a modern Western… and two, as a reflection of mental health and the way we fail to help people who are struggling with it.