Finding Hope
is a short screenplay written by Therealjackieboy as a final project for his high school literature class. jackieboy wrote the screenplay as an homage to Spaghetti Westerns, mainly the ones made by Sergio Leone, containing loads of references to various Westerns of his, along with a bit of deconstruction. jackieboy has no intent on turning the screenplay into a movie, and just wanted to tell a story using a different format.
It's been a year after the Civil War has ended, and the Peck family, consisting of Lee, his wife Maude, and their son Gerald, finish up what they are doing in order to pray to God and have some lunch together. Right as they are about to chow down, the Peck family is invaded by an unwelcome and mysterious stranger who goes under the name Jack Angel. Things start going for the worst when Angel claims to be hunting sheriffs for the sole purpose of exterminating every human being on earth, Lee being one of them. The plot then takes a turn for the worst.
A novelization has also been written by therealjackieboy, which can be viewed here.
Spoilers are unmarked, it's best to read the script first before diving into this page.
This script provides examples of:
- Ambiguous Ending: Whether or not Nobody accepts Gerald's offer at becoming the new town sheriff is left entirely up to the reader.
- Bittersweet Ending: Jack Angel is killed by Nobody after exacting his revenge on him, but Gerald's parents and Nobody's sister are still dead, something that even Nobody comments on.
- Break the Cutie: Gerald after Jack Angel kills his parents.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Jack Angel forgets who Nobody is, despite the fact that he killed his sister fifteen years ago. He suddenly remembers seconds before he dies.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Maude talks some sense into Jack Angel (who has a gun pointed at her husband) without caring about what he'll do to her.
- Dodge the Bullet: Nobody dodges both of Jack Angel's bullets when he first meets him. Same can't be said for their duel.
- Duel to the Death: Jack Angel and Nobody have one over Gerald's fate.
- Evil Counterpart: Jack Angel is one to Nobody.
- Evil Is Petty: Jack Angel shot a priest and took his hat after the priest claimed Angel to be "a man of sin".
- Evil Wears Black: Jack Angel dresses in an all black attire.
- Fatal Flaw: Nobody's pride and confidence almost gets him killed, while Jack Angel's blind determination to complete his goals does.
- Faux Affably Evil: Jack Angel appears to be very gentlemen like and polite. In actuality, he's a monstrous sadist who kills people with a smile on his face.
- The Heavy: Jack Angel is the one behind every conflict in the story.
- Hero of Another Story: Nobody's quest to find Jack Angel.
- Holier Than Thou: Jack Angel thinks of himself as this.
- Homage: Towards Sergio Leone westerns, and the entire Western genre as a whole
- Human Shield: Angel attempts to use Gerald as one in order to keep Nobody from shooting him.
- Hypocrite: Jack Angel claims to Lee that he "can't stand people who kill others just trying to live out their lives," despite the fact that he's doing just that to Lee's family.
- Invincible Hero: Averted and Deconstructed with Nobody. Even though he's pretty good at dodging bullets, he still manages to get wounded after his almost fatal duel with Jack Angel. Nobody even comments on how he always makes it out unscathed, realizing that he's not as invincible as he thinks.
- Ironic Nickname: Jack Angel, who is far from a saint.
- Kick the Dog: Jack Angel attempting to kill Gerald, all because he heard him kill his parents, grinning while trying to pull the trigger.
- Knight Templar: Jack Angel believes himself to be a righteous man who is expelling evil from the world by killing people, starting with the sherifs. In actuality, Angel is a violent lunatic who is blinded by religion.
- Memento MacGuffin: Nobody's locket, which contains a photo of him and his older sister.
- No Name Given: Both Nobody and Jack Angel are just aliases.
- Slasher Smile: Jack Angel gives one before he kills Gerald.
- The Sociopath: Jack Angel, who doesn't care about killing people, just as long as he accomplishes his twisted goals.
- Trying Not to Cry: Nobody holds back some tears while trying to tell Gerald his backstory.
- Villainous Breakdown: Jack Angel goes through one when he attempts to take Gerald's like for a second time right after Nobody shoots him in the stomach; he gets louder and more bloodthirsty.
- Would Hurt a Child: Angel doesn't mind trying to kill Gerald after he noticed him killing his parents. Even after getting shot in the stomach, he still attempts to kill Gerald.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Nobody, however, wouldn't dare hurt a child.
