After the Gold Rush

Creator: Joe Flood
Genre: Drama
Age rating: 13 and older
A dotcom failure, washed up at the age of 24, goes abroad to end it all. But he can’t escape the sensual pull of Italy.
Project collaboration: Closed
Full synopsis
Synopsis: Ian is 24 and ruined. Following a disastrous 60 Minutes interview, he's forced out of the Internet company that he founded. He's lost millions of dollars of shareholders' money, including the life savings of his friends and family.

He goes to Italy to end it all. Even the beauty of Rome cannot dissuade him from his plan. After crashing a rented Vespa, Ian meets a bartender while watching a soccer game. They discuss suicide strategies, what works and what doesn't.

That night, he goes out with a couple of British girls that he met, Marion and Bronne. They dance together and all end up going home to his hotel. Bronne passes out. Marion and Ian make love - she is earthy, honest, bold.

Ian is hounded by problems from his past. Reporters want to talk to him about his ignominious exit from his company. Lawyers send subpoenas to his hotel. He decides to flee. Going to the train station, he picks a city at random to visit - Milan.

Before he leaves, however, Marion presses her itinerary on him. "For when you come to your senses," she says.

Ian finds Milan to be gloomy and unhappy. A scene on the street of a man being arrested reminds him of how security escorted him out of his company. He picks another destination.

Verona is bright and pleasant. Opera plays outdoors in the arena. Tourists pose outside the house where Romeo and Juliet was set. In the main square, Ian meets a couple of German tourists. They play a game, trying to guess the nationality of people walking by.

However, Ian's troubles have caught up with him. Marcus, the man who now runs Ian's company, has tracked him down. They were once close friends, playing on the same soccer team. He's there to force Ian to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Ian does so, trying to get this behind him.

Marcus goes back to Milan, to fly back to the USA. Before he can do so, however, Emily, his girlfriend tells him that she's coming to Italy. Emily is Ian's former fiancee. She's concerned about him.

Ian has moved on to Venice. He finds Marion and they spend the night together. The next day, Marcus and Emily arrive. They walk through the beautiful city. Marcus thinks that Ian is a failure. Emily is worried about Ian. He assures her that she has nothing to be concerned for. Marion hates all these people. Ian tells her that he's saying goodbye to them.

Marcus and Emily return to America. Ian tells Marion to go away for a few hours. She knows that he's going to kill himself. Crying, she leaves. Ian smashes a glass vase from Murano. He takes the shard and is about to slice his wrists when he hears a familiar and beloved sound - the bounce of a soccer ball.

Marion rushes back to the room. Looking out the window, she finds Ian in the courtyard below, kicking a ball around with a young boy.

Ian and Marion sit at the edge of the Venetian Lagoon, looking out at the lights of Murano. "So many lights," Ian says. "So much to see and do."

Latest Work

  • Script 1 - Joe's Original Draft
    03/27/11
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    Creative Notes:
    A trip to Italy inspired this screenplay about a man who has lost his way.

    Semi Finalist – BlueCat Screenwriting Lab
    Quarterfinalist – Fade In Magazine Screenplay Competition
    Certificate of Merit – American Screenwriters Association Screenplay Competition
    RTF