Mountain Story

Explanation

• Location: Sudety Mountains / Big City in the US (centers of Polish immigration) / little village in Sudety Mountains.
• The story is based on real events to some extent (concerning the existing mysteries hidden in the Sudety Mountains and WWII).
• Weather plays a key role here. The movie starts with bright sunny days, yet when the sensation of a disturbance begins to increase, the weather deteriorates considerably.
• A story is built up around a couple. A man (Marc) and a woman (Anna). Residents of a big city in the United States (e.g. Chicago, New York, etc., where there is a large number of Polish immigrants).
• The film starts in America. We show the life of the protagonists, the man (Marc) and the woman (Anna), aged 25 – 35 years. Anna’s ancestors came to the USA from Poland. Marc’s roots are rather irrelevant. We give him a profession that involves skills that are useful to the plot of the film (e.g., a policeman, fireman).
• In the movie, there is another major character: Anna’s neighbor (Szymon) aged about 70, a resident. Szymon is an agent in the secret service employed by Israel’s Mossad who is protecting a very dark Nazi secret (results of DNA experiments threatening the contemporary world’s existence and representing the most destructive weapon that mankind has ever invented…)
• Turning points are of great importance to the story, hence one of the protagonists has a secret leading to an additional conflict: Anna intends to leave Marc but has not yet told him. She also has a mysterious past which is so burdensome that it becomes problematic…
• The story presented below is in development for a 90’ movie (script pending completion). It’s meant to be a sequel or a series with 1-2 seasons (each with 6-9 episodes).

ACT I

Anna receives a mysterious notice via the mail regarding an inheritance from the grandmother she never met.  Her grandmother used to live in the mountains on the Polish/German border, in a village called Sudety.  The letter has been sent by a Notary Public and becomes the subject of much discussion in the couple’s home in the U.S.  Eventually, Marc succeeds in convincing Anna that they should return to the country of her ancestors to claim this mysterious inheritance.  The couple finally decides to travel to Poland.  We see them at a Notary Public’s office in Wroclaw or Jelenia Gora.  The situation is not clear.  The notice they have received was not a will as such and we can feel the tension rising as they are sitting in front of the Notary Public.  After signing some documents, they are given another letter and some keys – which makes them even more curious.  Anna and Marc rent a car with the intention of trying to reach the house by themselves.  After leaving the town, Anna retrieves her cell phone, and we can see that it’s roaming.  She enters an address into Google Maps that had been written on a piece of paper.

The map shows a dot in the middle of nowhere.  Anna is disappointed.  She’s going to have to handle the situation on her own as Marc didn’t want to get help from a local driver. The road ahead is little more than a dirt track.  She hoists her backpack onto her shoulders and begins to walk towards the green, wild mountains.  Eventually, after traveling through the forest for a while, they arrive at their destination as they emerge into a lush clearing with a wooden, moss-covered house in the middle of it.  The house is run down and very isolated.  It is an old German building from the 1920s.  It stands all alone on the mountainside.  This type of building was typically constructed with a mixture of stone, brick, and wood.  Clearly, nobody has lived there or taken any care of the property for years.  She’s quite disappointed as any hopes she had of an idyllic, quaint country home with links to her past are dashed.

The building is very run down, and its windows are boarded up.  She is almost ready to turn back.  One can see the nearby woods and meadows whilst any other buildings are situated at quite a considerable distance.  The key fits in the lock and they enter the house together.  Night falls.  The couple is having dinner…..

ACT II

They hear a knock at the door.  They are surprised and puzzled by this.  A man walks in.  He doesn’t look nice.  He is dressed in a long cloak, has a matted beard, and is holding a package in his hand.  He turns out to be a neighbor who has decided to visit with some food and refreshments as a welcome gift.  His name is Szymon.  He speaks a little English and Anna knows some Polish, (enough to communicate), so somehow or other, they manage to understand each other.

Szymon asks them about their plans.  Anna doesn’t feel comfortable in his company.  They tell him that they intend to explore the area, have a rest, and spend some time together.  The neighbor offers to guide them around the surrounding area which could be dangerous if visited alone.  Then he leaves.  Dawn breaks.  There is a bedroom upstairs.  The room is flooded with a soft bluish light.  We see detail of Marc’s face, he opens his eyes and then wakes up.

Marc slowly turns his head towards the door and freezes.  A wolf is standing in the doorway looking in his direction.  Anna now starts to wake up too.  Marc gently covers her mouth so that she won’t start screaming.  The tension between the couple in the bed and the wild beast lasts for a while and starts to build.  Suddenly, the silhouette of a man appears behind the wolf in the doorway – it is Szymon, the man who had visited them the previous evening.

They are confused and anxious.  A virtually unknown man has entered their home – with a wolf.  Their neighbor reminds them that they were supposed to make a trip into the mountains.  He leaves the house with the wolf and waits on the porch.

Anna and Marc get dressed and kitted up for their walk.  The neighbor is sitting in front of the house with the wolf, waiting for them both to be ready.

The Mountain Story

Director: TBD / 90 minutes / Thriller