How many times have you looked in the rear view mirror and feared what might happen next? That was the inspiration for my new screenplay, The Angry Road. But I wanted to write about a “healing hero,” not about a tragedy.

You’re driving down a lonely two-lane road. You’re on unfamiliar ground, so you’re a little anxious. You look in your rear-view mirror, and a large, black pickup comes up from behind and tailgates you. It’s so close, you could hand the driver a ham sandwich. You can’t see him, because the windows are smoked. He sits too far back from the windshield for a good look at his (or her) face. After a moment, he flashes his lights and honks his horn, and you let him pass.

He’s rude and frightening. No manners. No respect. He thinks he owns the road because he’s got a big truck that makes big noises. You wonder what he might have done to you, if you hadn’t given way.

Why do people behave this way? True, some people are just assholes. They missed the kindergarten lesson about polite behavior.

But what if there’s another explanation? Something more sinister? Could something else be influencing their behavior, leading an otherwise polite, respectful person to incivility, mischief, even road rage?

Synopsis: ‘The Angry Road’

That question led to my feature-length screenplay, The Angry Road, the second script in my screenplay portfolio. It tells the story of Eden Davidson, a nurse confronted with a mystery linking a highway with a reputation for traffic accidents and a local mine. Think Steven Spielberg’s Duel (1971) and Erin Brockovich (2000). Here’s the first portion of the synopsis.

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Eden Davidson (31) drives her blue sedan, packed with belongings and her cat Hypo, onto the exit for the small town of Progress. She’s moving back to her hometown after years away. Heat shimmers off the asphalt. A large, late-model red pickup tailgates her, flashing its lights and sounding its horn. The truck passes her, and the driver gives her the finger. Rattled, Eden pulls over at a turnoff for a local mining company. A semi for a mining company called “ORE” heads toward the freeway.

Arriving in Progress to take over management of a local clinic, she spots the red pickup. She confronts the driver, Pasco Carbone (45), who brushes her off. In the clinic, she announces herself to Millie White (42), the temporary director. Eden sees her first patients, a woman with a broken arm, and a man with a severe laceration. Both appear to be road rage incidents. The man is brought in by Deputy Sheriff Mason Ruiz (33). Eden tells Mason that road rage is a problem in his jurisdiction. Mason says the road has a bad reputation. Pasco arrives at the clinic. He runs the mine, which produces rare earths. As a peace gesture, he invites her to a community breakfast at the mine offices.

At the breakfast, Pasco introduces Eden to local leaders and presents a gift of $10,000 to the clinic. Mason is at the breakfast, and Eden explains her belief about an unknown, hidden cause of the road rage incidents. She learns that ORE upgraded the suspect road to handle heavy trucks. Stopping at the grocery store for coffee, an enormous black pickup almost kisses her bumper, as if intimidating her. On her way to work, another car tailgates her, then blows past. A police cruiser driven by Mason zooms by, lights flashing. Eden soon comes across an accident scene. She stops to help, but the driver is raving, and he attacks Mason. Eden tackles the man and saves Mason.

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If you’d like to read the whole synopsis, or the script, visit my profile on Stage 32, an online community of motion picture creatives. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

If you’re a producer, agent, literary manager, or actor interested in more information, you can reach me directly via my contact form.

Image: Pixabay