TREATMENT

OVERVIEW:

“DRY FIRE” is a gripping, post-apocalyptic thriller that’s a tale of survival between a weathered hunter and his young protege: an orphaned, Deaf girl. In being forced to work together, their disdain for each other turns into a relationship of father and daughter, as they endure through the harsh realities of a brutal world… Including the hunter disobeying orders to murder his protege and instead rediscovering a humanity that went missing a long time ago.

The process of their connection is really like the process of a working friendship: trust, determination, learning, communication, adaptability. In their fight, they have to do these same things because these are also the primary skills of survival.

Tonally, the film should be a collision of different genres- post-apocalypse, action, thriller, with heart and even a dash of comedy. The world of Dry Fire is dangerous, relentless, yet realistic.


CHARACTER SET-UP:

Our main characters O’NEIL and ZOE meet when O’Neil is ordered to train Zoe by his commanding officer. O’Neil doesn’t want the burden and Zoe thinks she can take care of herself. But it’s clear they need each other: Zoe, while tough, is unprepared to last in this world, and O’Neil has lost touch with his true self, and only knows the cold, violent, lone-wolf he’s become.

Zoe was born Deaf. She was left orphaned by the virus which claimed her entire family and has been scavenging and stealing to get by ever since. She’s street smart, head strong, cheeky , stubborn and longs for the life that she used to know. While she’s extremely capable getting by as a petty thief, it’s clear if she’s going to survive in this world she has a lot to learn.

O’Neil is a hunter. He’s capable and resilient but has needed to become selfish and ruthless in order to exist in his new reality. O’Neil was able to protect his entire family when the world first changed, but the weak are always the first to go: His family were murdered by a savage gang. In retaliation, O’Neil joined their rival faction and was quick to exact his brutal revenge, trading away his humanity in the process.

The pair are forced together due to O’Neil’s basic knowledge in sign language. O’Neil trains his student to hunt and fight while Zoe teaches him how to communicate. Along the way O’Neil discovers a spark of the person he once was.

But while the cracks in his hardened exterior begin to reveal the man that’s been lost, O’Neil faces the ultimate test, to protect the child he’s taken under his wing, or stay loyal to the group that helped him avenge his family.


STORY:

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