WAKE

"Wake is a mind-bending and immensely engaging script that tells the story of Gavin West, an underdog who stumbles upon a disguised scheme at his new job... Before we realize it, we are entangled in the story and root for Gavin to discover the truth. More importantly, the concept doesn't arouse suspension of disbelief even when it changes the genre and narrative tone from drama to thriller to science fiction.

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"Wake is a mind-bending and immensely engaging script that tells the story of Gavin West, an underdog who stumbles upon a disguised scheme at his new job... Before we realize it, we are entangled in the story and root for Gavin to discover the truth. More importantly, the concept doesn't arouse suspension of disbelief even when it changes the genre and narrative tone from drama to thriller to science fiction. All genre elements work in cohesion with one another, not allowing for interfering unnecessarily or overloading the narrative.... Wake has a compelling set of commercial and auteur traits that distinguishes the script from the crowd, meaning it belongs to a genre and implements some familiar tropes, such as the change of identity. At the same time, the writer manages to implement genuine features like the non-linear approach and the fascinating catharsis. Suffice to say, Wake would communicate with the broader audience and revive the theme/genre by expanding the scope. Instead, it talks in its own voice and is essentially an advocate for the thesis that not all stories are told. Quite on the contrary, this script is a case example that filmmakers can still present authentic stories, ones that stray from the fabricated narratives in the current trends. With a considerable number of strengths... we state that Wake deserves attention. It should arouse the buzz in the film industry and address interested producers who would help the writer bring this story to life. In conclusion, the writer should be confident about the project’s development... "

-(Golden Script Competition)

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“Story: Great premise. Theme was consistent throughout. Awesome characters supported this all the way through to the end. Structure: Perfect. Characters: Your characters are three dimensional and interesting. I can tell that you have taken time to mold these characters into real people. I really enjoyed their personalities. Action: Your action is quick, precise and to the point. What I love about your action is that you let it tell the story, instead of relying on dialogue to do it all. Pro move. For your scenes, you enter late and leave early. Every scene is there for a reason... This is a very quick, clean read. Dialogue: Your dialogue progresses your story forward. Every line is there for a reason... your dialogue is on point.”

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"This was a very fun read, a fast-paced thriller that kept me turning pages and kept me guessing. The craft in this script is excellent. The script’s concept is original. It reminded me a little of TOTAL RECALL because the protagonist is forced to question their reality... The theme of karma is appropriate to the concept, and is worked in effectively (for example, through the Tarot reading).

You do a great job of delivering exposition by showing, not telling... There’s a lot going on in the plot, but it mostly hangs together and is paid off at the end. The characters are strong. Gavin/Brandon is the most well-developed, and he comes across as flawed but likable, as a protagonist should. Rob is also captured well, with his own distinct dialog and mannerisms. And Winters is a great mystery character, with a great explanation of who he is at the end.

The title has a nice double-meaning - Gavin’s wake and the fact that he’s waking up. All in all this is a very strong script. "

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"The setup to the story has a very intriguing, Hitchcockian (De Palma-esque?) vibe to it, casting Gavin as the "wrong man" being targeted by alternately mundane or surreal attempts on his life, with the details he's analyzing for Moylan acting as the invisible hand driving everything forward. The dialogue is solid throughout, and the slow reveal of information about Gavin's past and his relationship with Rob and his ex-wives is handled well. The first half of the script moves at a slow burn, but it does an admirable job of hooking the audience and crafting an intelligent maze of deceit to work its way out of...

The author clearly has style and some rather complex, interesting big-picture ideas to throw around."

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“The writing, story, execution and formatting of this script are all outstanding. The story is easy to read, suspenseful, moves forward quickly and has some surprising twists and turns.”

-(Zoetrope Virtual Studio/CoverFly X/ The Black List)

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BREFNI O'ROURKE is a New York based screenwriter actively marketing all of his materials for possible sale or option. He is the author of more than 50 original feature-length spec screenplays, primarily within the action, suspense-thriller, and horror genres. The "cinematic Brefniverse" includes: 

"The Awning", a supernatural thriller, was a quarterfinalist in the 2023 WeScreenplay Feature contests. It was named a finalist in the 2022 Story Pros International Screenplay Contest and has been awarded a Coverfly badge of - Top 6% of discoverable projects. In March of 2023 it made the Red List as the # 8 ranked thriller screenplay.  

"Wake", a psychological thriller, was recognized as a semifinalist in the 2022 Creative World Awards. It was recognized as a quarterfinalist in the Final Draft/Big Break Contest (top 10% of entries) and the American Zoetrope contest. It has been awarded a Coverfly badge of being among the top 22% of discoverable projects.  

"Descendancy", an action-thriller, was recognized as a Quarterfinalist in the Script Lab - TSL Free Screenplay Contest 2022 and has been awarded a Coverfly badge of - Top 18% of discoverable projects.  

"Moving Day", a supernatural thriller, was recognized as a quarterfinalist in the 2015 Final Draft/Big Break Contest.  It has been awarded a Coverfly badge of being among the top 34% of discoverable projects. 

"Panopticon", an action-thriller, was selected as a "Notable Project" by Amazon Studios (one of only 50 projects recognized as such).   

"God's Work", a supernatural action thriller was optioned by The Ferla Consulting Group.  

"Threshold", a horror-thriller (cowritten with Elizabeth Rowin and Greg DeRochie) was optioned by Contribution Films. (http://www.contributionfilms.com/threshold.html). 

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