Suburban Coming-of-Age Drama

I am developing a 35–45 minute coming-of-age drama intended as a festival-level short / mid-length film. The project is fully outlined and structurally locked; I am looking for a screenwriter to expand the existing outline into a complete screenplay, not to reinvent the concept.

Genre: Suburban drama / coming-of-age
Tone: Quiet, restrained, emotionally grounded
Comparable tone: Prestige indie (naturalistic, non-sentimental)

Concept Overview

The story follows a boy who grows up believing his father is present throughout his life — offering quiet encouragement and guidance — as he pursues filmmaking. Over the course of the film, we gradually realize the entire life we are watching is imagined by the boy’s mother. The father died before the boy was born, and the film represents the mother imagining the possible life her child might live, including the father’s presence.

The story culminates in a subtle reveal that reframes everything the audience has seen, ending on a quiet image of possibility rather than tragedy.

What’s Already Done

Full story concept

Locked ending

Opening scene written in screenplay form

Key dialogue established

Scene-by-scene structure for a 35–45 min runtime

Clear tonal rules (no melodrama, no exposition-heavy dialogue)

Visual motifs established (repetition, symmetry, imagined presence)

The goal is execution, not development from scratch.

What I’m Looking For

I am looking for a writer who can:

Translate a detailed outline into a clean, professional screenplay

Write naturalistic, understated dialogue

Be comfortable with silence, implication, and subtext

Respect structural and tonal constraints

Collaborate (feedback + revisions expected)

This is not a high-concept or plot-driven script. The strength of the film comes from restraint, pacing, and emotional honesty.

What This Is NOT

Not a comedy

Not a thriller

Not a twist-heavy film

Not a rewrite of an existing script

Not a studio-style feature

Deliverables

One completed screenplay draft (35–45 minutes)

One revision pass based on feedback

Ideal Writer

Experience with indie drama, short films, or festival projects

Comfortable working from a detailed outline

Interested in character-driven storytelling

Bonus if you’ve worked on coming-of-age or family dramas