ROMANCE, DRAMA

After many abusive relationships and many lessons learned, Dulcineia decides to take the lead in her own life.

FAIR

FIRST PERSON

Authors Writing Style: GOOD

Characterization: GOOD

Commerciality: FAIR

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: FAIR

Structure: GOOD

Theme: FAIR

No. I don't believe Dulci's mother is the antagonist. She is somewhat the cause of some of Dulci's internal conflicts, but she is not the antagonist at all.

It has a good hook. It's a story that explores abusive relationships. So many people around the globe live these kinds of relationships, that it'd draw people's attention, for sure.

The author writes about every single abusive relationship (romantic or not) she had, and many of them seem repetitive. It sounds like a journal where you are just writing a list of facts that happened to you. If optioned, the Screenwriter will have to give it a more dramatic, exciting touch.

THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Abusive relationships. This subject is very relevant (for both men and women), and it's definitely a good hook.

I believe many people would feel represented by Dulcineia, and it could give the film a fanbase.

It has some potential because it explores a very sensitive and dramatic theme. However, the drama itself needs further refinement.

LOW BUDGET

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY: A WOMAN CHANGES HER IDENTITY TO AVOID AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP. THEN, SHE STARTS A NEW LIFE AND FINDS HAPPINESS. YOU: A STALKER FOLLOWS HIS GIRLFRIENDS AND CREATES SITUATIONS THAT FORCE THESE GIRLS TO STAY BY HIS SIDE.

Since it's a Brazilian book, it has a unique narrative when digging the subject. It gives the story an original look.

The author focuses so much on the negative parts of these relationships that everything looks very Manichaean. It'd sound more realistic if the book could avoid these bad/good characters. Also, I don't feel the protagonist is likable enough. We want to root for her, but sometimes she acts like she wants to accept those abusive moments. However, she is not stereotypical. She is not that obvious weak woman, mentally controlled, who does everything to save her marriage. Dulci is a strong woman, intelligent, capable professional, who ends up falling for abusive men. The character itself sounds great, but her actions are a little bit childish.

Not a rare gem. We've seen films that explore abusive relationships before. The narrative, the characters, the conflicts, and the drama should be improved to reach a higher level of distinction.

Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, TV Series - Streaming

WORK IN PROGRESS

While the story has many positive points, it has room for improvement (see possible paths below). If you can't change the story at this point, my suggestion is using your notes as a guide to highlight the best aspects of it when taking the next steps, either putting a pitch page together, a treatment, or a presentation.

First, it needs to be told in a more "fictional", cinematic way. It sounds more like a person remembering moments of her life than a narrative that leads you to a climax. If the idea is to make the author tell the story as a narrator in the film/series, it's ok, but we still need a more flowing story. The conflicts should show up more. In the book, they exist in the external form: the man cheated on her, the man treated her badly, they fought, she discovered she was being cheated on again. However, we barely see the internal conflicts. How does she feel when she was betrayed. What is going on inside her? It's everything too subtle such as "I was devastated," but in the next scene, she is already talking to another man, trying to make her husband feel jealous. Too generic and too quick. I understand that every person acts differently when facing abuse, but I believe that films like this demand emotional scenes, those that will make us understand the extent of the problem. We need this pause in the action to see how she is feeling. We need to understand what she is thinking. We need to understand why she is accepting those situations over and over, otherwise, we cannot root for her the way she deserves. Abusive relationships are a very sensitive subject, and it requires a well-built narrative to inspire those who are going through the same thing, and also to give this subject the importance it needs. Despite those details that need refinement, I love the idea that this story begins in Brazil and ends in Switzerland. It's a rare combination that could deliver a beautiful and interesting result.