Script File
The Crime
In a post-Roe v Wade America, a spirited teenager accompanies her best friend to an illegal back-alley abortion, leading to disastrous consequences.
-
Pamela PerryWriter
-
Maria SigristWriter
-
Maria SigristDirector
-
Project Type:Short Script
-
Number of Pages:14
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Language:English
-
First-time Screenwriter:No
-
Student Project:No
Maria Sigrist collaborates with filmmakers across the globe to create films with inspiring female lead characters. Her aim is to encourage women to take responsibility and to participate in shaping the world.
To whom it may concern
I am Maria Sigrist, writer, producer and director of the short film, ‘The Crime.’
Running 14 minutes, the film shows the bond between two young women while one faces an illegal, unsafe and unsanitary abortion in a post-Roe v. Wade America. With the best intention to help a friend in the darkest of times, our story centers on how this purpose is not enough to protect either woman. I will shoot it in black and white with high contrast and shadows. Through this film noir-inspired lens, I examine the experience of these two women treated as criminals.
The film starts and ends with an energetic electronic Military march. I want people to wake up. To sit straight in their chairs and to think. Is this really possible? Can this be our future? My answer is yes. Human and women rights can be taken away from us every day. That’s why we need to fight for it every day
Access to abortion is threatened under the current Trump administration. Especially considering how some US states opposed to abortion are using COVID-19 as an excuse to suspend access, we have reason to fear that the current political climate will chip away at abortion rights and ultimately our freedom. One law like this comes with a series of other laws and control mechanisms which is a first step towards a dictatorial regime. If America, the country of freedom and endless possibilities, will take such a step, then the rest of the world will follow.
‘The Crime’ is the first project of my 'Spirited Heroine' film endeavor and many more are in the pipeline. My overall goal is to work as a director on international projects which inspire women to take responsibility in shaping the world. A free world, filled with love and empathy. A world which our children will be proud of.
Maria Sigrist, August 2020