In a last ditch effort to make her mark, an aging actor writes a screenplay about her younger days as a single mom struggling to find love and respect, as quickly as possible - but the universe has it's own timing, then and now.

SYNOPSIS:

Unedited, First Draft -

We begin in 2024. ESTHER, an aging actor/writer is writing what she knows is a last ditch effort after trying for many years to make it in the entertainment business. Her family is clueless about her work. Her daughter Esme never seems interested in her small but important accomplishments. After a disappointing phone call to Esme, she begins writing about the day she arrived back home in RI, right off the plane, in August of 1991 - with a baby named ESME and a cat named STINKY:

Fresh off a divorce, not even legal yet, her family is still in love with the Ex, a young ad exec, by the name of WALLY. Her brother RICH, is best friends with Wally. Her mother STELLA wonders what she did wrong. Her sisters JACKIE and DONNA, have multiple issues in their own lives. Esther dives head first into life in quaint Bristol RI - computer classes, dating and even a gym membership. She's on a mission to replace the life she lost. She struggles to keep her PollyAnna attitude throughout some of the shitty reality she gets herself into. She looks for signs from the Universe and reads a ton of self help books. She has a 6th sense about people and always knows what to do - whether or not she does it, is another damn story.

We see older Esther back in present day, struggling to write this screenplay. She experiences certain things in her daily life, that trigger the story she puts on the page. As she writes the scenes, we peer over Older Esther's shoulder, and relive her younger days: the struggle to find a man, to gain what she thinks will be her answer to salvation - To be a wife again and replace the life she lost. We see her gain friends, make enemies, dump and get dumped, get fired from multiple jobs, lose her way and doubt her worth as a mother. She matures and learns, in a not always so pretty arc, about " substance over flash". She raises a fine young lady in Esme and gets married even. Esther even resumes her acting career, and realizes that she is A -OK. She comes to actually believe the statement, “ I’m a good mom, a good wife, a talented actor, and I’m smart and capable. I'm happy." - But the question remains...

Do we really change?

Esther comes to see that no matter what we get, do or be...

Our struggles remain the same - they're just packaged differently.

AND...that's OK. She has a good life now.

- Except for that fucking nagging question that always comes up -

IS it enough?