Synopsis
A high school senior who survived the conflict in Bosnia decides to write an elegy for a friend who died in that war rather than a final research paper required for graduation. His teacher, an Asian woman from a military background, refuses to pass him, even after the boy’s sudden death. The resulting conflict swallows everyone as personal and professional stakes skyrocket. Seven characters: M 18, 18, 60. F 18, 18, 35. M or F 40. Time 2003. Various locations easily sketched: classroom, bedroom, subway underpass, alley outside a rave. Rock music from 2003. 15 scenes. 100 minutes.
Excerpt
A Fixed Standard of Conduct – 5-Page Dialogue Sample [PDF]
Monologues
Origin
I taught high-school English for twenty-two years to mostly lower-income Hispanics. They were good kids—sociable, honest, and respectful. One year a student who had escaped the horrors of Bosnia—and who clearly marched to a different drum—arrived in my class. He was a passionate and charismatic young man, and I decided to use him as a protagonist who pursues a higher and more noble cause, regardless of the consequence. His three antagonists—two teachers and a girlfriend—come from different world views that put his choices into stark relief.
