Paranoia Film Pitch

The Pitch

Title: Paranoia

Genre: Psychological thriller

Time period: Contemporary

Location: London

Budget: Low

Target audience: Male 18-25

Logline: A psychological thriller set in London based on the accidental murder of a mugger and the paranoia and consequences that come with that murder. The accidental murderers are three step brothers; we explore the collapse of their psychological wellbeing and trust in each other.  Imagine waking up in the morning, always having to look over your shoulder.

Treatment:

The film begins with three step brothers enjoying a conversation in Battersea Park. The youngest brother is 14 years old called Brian McCarthy, a typical teenager in secondary school who enjoys playing football and listening to hip- hop music. Jason McCarthy and Connor McCarthy are both 18, they both enjoy going out with friends, going to college and listening to Hip- hop music.

On their journey home Jason (age 18) and Connor (age 18) decide to buy a water bottle from a shop, Brian (14) decides to go on ahead of his brothers when suddenly Brian starts getting violently mugged.  Jason McCarthy (18) and Connor McCarthy (18) see the mugging taking place and Jason, engulfed in rage, picks up a brick and smashes the mugger’s head in. He dies and the three brothers decide to flee the crime scene. In a sign of frustration Connor asks Jason why he hit the mugger over the head with the brick; Jason stutters the words ‘It was a mistake’. The news of the murder circulates around the borough where the McCarthy’s live.

The police begin investigating the murder by asking everybody in the area questions about their whereabouts (during the time that the murder was recorded) and if they had any information surrounding the victim. Two police officers arrive at the McCarthy residence and ask the step brothers some routine questions, after 15 minutes they leave. Left with the possibility that they left evidence at the crime scene, the three brothers start acting desperate and paranoid, especially the youngest brother Brian. The paranoia starts to get overwhelming for Brian and as he battles with his conscience, his brothers become suspicious. The question remains, will the police find the murderers or will the McCarthy brothers get caught?