LOGLINE: In 1898 New York, the charming, hedonistic stockbroker on the verge of ruin must battle an onslaught of bigotry that threatens his family’s survival, even as his brilliant wife and talented lover forge daring new lives that challenge his privilege - and upend his desires.
THE BLACK LIST:
A truly impressive piece of writing that pulls the reader in and does not easily let go.
SELECTED RECOGNITION:
WINNER Stowe Story Labs/PAGE Awards Fellowship
TOP 10 Filmarket Hub English Language TV Pilot
Coverfly Virtual Live Read
TOP 3% Final Draft Big Break Quarterfinalist
COVERFLY TOP 1%
FINALIST Athena Film Festival LA TV Lab
TOP 25 BlueCat Screenwriting Competition TV Pilot
TOP 10 Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards Winner
Top 50 Roadmap Writers JumpStart Writing Competition
Rocaberti Writers Retreat Participant
FINALIST Middlebury Screenplay Lab Finalist
Sundance Institute Episodic Lab Second Rounder
Richmond International Film Festival Official Selection
BlueCat Screenplay Competition review:
“The ferry emerges from the fog under the Brooklyn Bridge. A hat blows off a man’s head and lands in the skirts of a certain woman, and powerful forces are set in motion. By the time that man is peeking through a photographer’s keyhole at the woman he’ll one day have an affair with, this period drama, set largely in Brooklyn, on the eve the Civil War, at a time when anti-Semitic sentiment is on the rise and women’s suffrage is in the air, already has its audience hooked. And the story only gets better, as events threaten to tear families apart, impact the political landscape, and turn 1800s Brooklyn into a powder keg.
The writer paints a picture of Brooklyn in the late Nineteenth Century that is at once inviting, mysterious, and layered, and peoples that picture with characters every bit as enticing, with the Billington family at the heart of a tapestry of relationships rich in story potential, and a fresh, fascinating setting fecund with storytelling opportunities.
John is the Sensualist, our title character, the “Don Draper” of his day — competent, confident, cocky, and getting older -- a thing he assures us hasn’t changed him, but it has. He’s also a flirt and philanderer, a compelling weakness poised to prove his downfall, the one glaring problem with a man we’d otherwise love to love -- and what could be more timely?
John’s wife Lilith is so charming she glows, but she is soon struck down by an illness that metaphorically captures the danger entering their world in the form of Sue, the shadow to her light, a woman with a different kind of past, caught up in the throes of a very different kind of love affair, who will soon begin an affair with John. Through their powerful magnetism, layers of complexity, and very different backgrounds, Sue and Lilith establish themselves as the twin suns around which all the men in this supposed man’s world will orbit.
The writing is confident, engaging, and displays a solid understanding of screenwriting craft. The world-building is excellent, and the script succeeds at creating a rich, emotional story world we’ll want to return to as soon as we can, and binge as much of as we can get.”
The Blacklist Review:
This script is, first and foremost, a genuine pleasure to read. The prose is exceptional, the writer's voice lending a literary quality to each page that really elevates and distinguishes it. The dialogue is impressive as well; the writer has a clear talent in this regard, able to give each character his or her own unique voice, while still giving the script an overarching styleand grace that helps it feel cohesive and strong. There's an epic scope to this script, reminiscent of period soaps like "Downton Abbey," but with an added level of social and cultural import, as the series dovetails into the European anti-semitism that will eventually grow into tragedy decades ahead. The writer has clearly made herself an expert on this period and subject matter; every detail is painstakingly crafted, and the script is all the better for it. The machinations of the plot are absolutely compelling, the reader desperate to see how these disparate story lines and tensions intertwine and connect as the pilot - and ostensibly the series - goes on. All in all, this is a truly impressive piece of writing that pulls the reader in and does not easily let go.
Made in NY Writers Room Judge:
“The Sensualist” is a one-hour drama about a wealthy family at the turn of the century Brooklyn, lead by a charismatic patriarch, John Billington. Underlying the piece is a provocative examination of anti-Semitism during an era not normally associated with anti-Jewish sentiment – at least in terms of how it’s been conveyed through episodic content up to this point in television history. These compelling elements combined with other strong narrative components -- not the least of which is the central character’s overt and rakish dedication to sensualism -- make for a very strong piece of episodic writing. The primary characters are extremely well drawn, sympathetic, and fully dimensional. We like them and feel sympathy towards them, even though they are clearly flawed. The main character, John Billington, is a somewhat self-effacing man of prodigious appetites, who loves his wife dearly but can’t help but to also love other women just as much. He is a more likeable and sexy version of Charles Foster Kane, and one cannot help but to pull for him, even while we revel in his weaknesses. Dialogue in the pilot is extremely sharp and well-wrought. The script flows effortlessly and is very easy to read. The writer is clearly talented and has researched his/her subject. Scenes are tightly wrought and economical. Tonally we are in the world of “Boardwalk Empire” with suggestions of the ghostliness of “Rescue Me”. All in all, an extremely well-written and impressive piece of work.
