The Peach

A fairytale based on a true story. Valentine, a former military medic suffering from PTSD, meets a runaway boy, Khalil on a train who offers him a stolen peach. After eating the peach, he and Khalil end up switching train tickets, where Khalil finds a new life and Valentine finds peace.

  • Elena Kritter
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Genres:
    Adventure, Drama
  • Number of Pages:
    26
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - American University
  • Paris International Film Festival
    Paris, France
    February 15, 2023
    Best Short Screenplay
Writer Biography - Elena Kritter

Elena Kritter is a Culpeper, Virginia based director, producer, writer and actor in theatre and film. She is the owner of the play NIGHT WITCHES and is a founding member of Trinacria Theatre Company. Noted credits: YAGA (Producer), STILL HERE (Managing Producer) NIGHT WITCHES (Producer).

www.elenakritter.com

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Writer Statement

This is a story of adventure - of exploring the world beyond your sphere, beyond your home and getting curious with what lies in wait for you. It is a reminder that a single encounter with a stranger could alter the course of your life entirely.

This is a story about choosing the thing that makes you feel alive. It's about following your intuition, and letting your sunlight-filled Life Force guide you. It is a departure from the pain that holds us down, and the belief that even as life happens to us, terrible and unfair, we can always choose our next step.

On a personal note, this story is for my late father, Gene Kritter, who passed away suddenly in June 2020. He first told this story to me several years ago - about how my great-great grandfather switched train tickets with a stranger after eating a peach. Instead of him going to Canada to be a doctor, he went to Iran, where he met his future wife named Elena. My father remarked on how much he loved that story. It affirmed to him that a sense of adventure, of choosing to walk towards joy and life despite hardship, was undeniable to who we were as a family, and to our fate as well.

Simply, I wrote this story so that I could imagine him reading it. He would have called Khalil a scamp.