Deadbeat Dad

Logline

A woman who suspects her crazed ex has kidnapped their little girl conducts her own investigation into the truth, which jeopardizes her life and that of her unborn child.

Synopsis

Following a bitter divorce, Sharon moves to a new town with her young daughter Rose to start over. Her ex-husband Jamie has disappeared after harassing her for months. Sharon met Steven after the move and remarried. He adores 6-year-old Rose just like she was his own daughter. Now expecting a baby of their own, the couple couldn’t be happier…


Until Someone abducts Rose one day when she rides her bike outside without Sharon’s knowledge. A worried mess, Sharon grows upset at detectives Jade and her partner Mark when they don’t appear to be as urgent about the situation as she thinks they should be. Sharon and Steve search the town for any sign of Rose and hang up flyers, but fail to make any headwinds.


At the supermarket, Sharon runs into her ex sister-in-law Mindy. Mindy reveals that Jamie bought her old car recently, a car that matches the description of the one seen taking Rose. Sharon strongly suspects Jamie is the kidnapper and follows Mindy in hopes she leads her to Jamie.


Just as snide as ever, Jamie insists he had nothing to do with Rose’s kidnapping. Sharon doesn’t buy it. Even Mindy starts to doubt her brother and uses her spare key to enter his apartment. She comes across a small stuffed toy, which tells her Rose has been there. Jamie kills his own sister to protect himself, but he’s smart enough to use her phone to tell her husband she can’t live with the guilt after killing Rose. That makes Mindy’s drowning look more like a suicide.


While getting a sandwich, Sharon spots Jamie with a pizza. She follows his car to a remote cottage, where his girlfriend Katie is looking after Rose. With little to eat or things to play with, Rose is unhappy there.


After finding she has no signal to call for help, Sharon gets Rose to open her bedroom window and tries to rescue her, only Rose is upset because Jamie told her Sharon no longer wants her due to the new baby. The chair Sharon stands on outside the window topples and causes Sharon to strike her head on an AC unit. When she wakes, she has been tied to a chair in the guest room by Jamie.


Katie comes to realize Jamie plans to kill Sharon and her baby. She wants no part of it and packs her bags. Jamie kills her and buries her body in the woods. Rose sneaks into the guest room to see her mom and unties her hands. At the same time, Jade has discovered Katie’s cottage and questions Jamie. When Sharon suddenly appears with Rose, Jamie shoots Jade, and chases Sharon and Rose into the woods. Sharon wins the brutal confrontation and returns home to Steven with their daughter.


Their son is born a few months later, making their family complete.

First 5 Pages

Deadbeat Dad first 5 pages.pdf