A Visit with Pearl by Jason K. Allen

When a lonely old man visits his beloved wife’s grave, he encounters a charming little girl who lifts him out of his doldrums and gives him hope.

Love and loss; it’s an age old theme brought to life with an elegant touch in Jason K. Allen’s A Visit With Pearl.

The scene: a cemetery in the country. A lonely grave. The name etched on the headstone: Pearl.

Old and barely able to walk (let alone sit down), Preston’s just mustered the courage to visit his wife’s resting place. A widower after fifty-five years of marriage, Preston still feels the fresh sting of grief, one year after her death.

At a loss, Preston talks to Pearl. Communing with nature… and silence.

Until company intrudes… in the form of a precocious pigtailed girl. Ignoring her mother a few feet away, the little girl skips over to Preston – filling his solemn moment with vibrant life. Not to mention the usual flurry of questions a child asks; innocent, straightforward and naively sweet.

Which ultimately makes Preston realize there’s more to life than loss. And that the world’s – sometimes more than what it seems.

Grab this one and do it justice. It’ll bring more than one tear to your eyes.

Budget: You’ll need one location and three actors. The closer you can match Preston to the old man in Up, the better. Couple him with a small role for a woman and a spirited girl. And lots of nostalgia, as well.

About the writer: Jason K. Allen is a writer and filmmaker from Nashville, Tennessee. His produced short scripts include AMERICAN SOCK, which won Best Screenplay at the 2014 San Diego Film Awards, and AUTUMN LOVERS, winner of the Audience Award at the 2013 Artlightenment Festival in Nashville. He also wrote the feature film LUCKY FRITZ starring Julia Dietze (IRON SKY) and Corey Feldman. Jason is also a wilderness guide, nature photographer, and published author. See IMDB for his complete credits:

Read A Visit with Pearl (8 pages in pdf format)

Find more scripts available for production

This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

About the reviewer: Rachel Kate Miller is a veteran of the feature animation industry, having worked on several Oscar winning films, bringing stories to life. In 2012, she left animation to move to Chicago and run the design department for President Obama’s reelection campaign. She is now living in New York, writing, consulting on various projects and creating an educational animated series for elementary students focused on engaging kids in science. Want to drop Rachel line? She can be reached at rachelkate.miller (a) gmail.