Conner | Action Thriller Short

Conner is a coming of age story about a 17 year old navigating his way through an abusive father, friends that don't see his vision, a missing brother, and a paramilitary plot that could kill him at any moment.

Factions

The Watch is a clandestine branch of US Intelligence that keeps politicians and citizens in line and eliminates threats to American sovereignty that arise from within its borders. Freya seeks to turn this power to her own ends...

The Runners are a loose affiliation of parkourists and misfits that seek joy and freedom in transgressing boundaries and achieving new feats of athleticism and daring. Cloud and Conner are members of this group and have been training with them for years...

Director's Statement

I want to use Conner as a vehicle to explore the price of finding meaning in an ever-increasingly complex world. The overwhelming nature and pace of modern America makes everyone feel like they're just keeping their head above water. Conner is searching for that sustaining meaning that will keep him afloat, and must make a decision on how high a price he is willing to pay to gain it.

Summary

After four years, Conner has finally dialed the number that his brother Austin left him when he disappeared. Before he knows it, Conner is running deliveries for an organization he knows nothing about, save that Austin once worked for them.

Conner chooses this job over his friends and just when he feels confident in his choice, he gets shot at. His client is killed in front of him and Conner barely makes his escape. When he confronts Freya, his contact within the mysterious organization, she lures him back in with promises of money and freedom. Little does Conner know that he is the last loose end in Freya's plot to seize control of her organization through a violent coup.

Soldiers of "The Watch" - costume test

Characters - Primary

Cloud Leeren (left) and Conner McGrath (right) - costume test

Conner McGrath is a seventeen year old parkourist searching for a deeper meaning in life and an escape from his increasingly abusive father. When Freya offers him a chance to reach both those goals, he leaps at the chance...

Cloud Leeren is Conner's best friend and a true contrast to Conner's optimistic nature. Cloud realized long ago that life has no meaning except that which you yourself give it. He finds freedom in that. When Conner starts acting strange and hiding things from him, Cloud decides to find out what's really going on with his friend...

The Shadow is the best field operative The Watch has. Wetworks, assassination, asset seizure, and espionage, and everything else The Watch needs to achieve its goals. When The Watch hears of Freya's coup, The Shadow is sent out to hunt her down. But when he finds Conner caught in Freya's web, will he help him, or tie up the loose end for good.

Freya Allen is one of the top fixers within The Watch. She coordinates the transfer of sensitive information through third-party couriers, arranges untimely accidents, and ensures the organization stays hidden, but that's not enough. Her ambition drives her to aim for total control of The Watch. And if her hunger for power crushes a few innocents beneath her? Bugs are meant to be crushed.

Characters - Supporting

The Shadow - costume test

Kevin McGrath is the widower father of Conner. After Conner's older brother Austin disappeared four years ago, Kevin has found solace in alcohol and has let his bitterness at the loss of his wife and firstborn poison his relationship with Conner. Will their relationship permanently break as Conner continues to work for Freya?

Tucker Olson is the younger friend of Conner and Cloud. He looks up to them like brothers and leaps at the chance to hang out with them. Will he discover Conner's secret?

Taark is Freya's right hand man. He is the front-liner on all critical missions and hits like a hammer. His loyalty to Freya is absolute, but will it be enough to overcome the looming threat of The Shadow and cut the loose end that Conner's become?

Thrice is the agile agent Taark relies on to ensure quick mission success. He is a capable field agent, but can he go toe to toe with The Shadow?

Hostile is the scout of Taark's squad and the backbone of their reconnaissance missions. He is also Freya's preferred assassin, but when he is sent to kill Conner he must also contend with The Shadow...

Avram Vucetich is the Georgian-born left hand of Freya. He handles the political and logistical maneuvering within The Watch and serves as Freya's proxy when she cannot be there herself. He coordinated a strike that killed the last Shadow, but when The Shadow returns from the grave, can he survive a confrontation face to face?

Harry Orstich is a field agent for The Watch. His responsibility is intelligence acquisition and he works with teams like Freya's to transfer that intelligence safely to Watch safehouses. But when Freya starts her coup he'll be the first in her crosshairs...

Harry Orstich - costume test

Action

The action in Conner is fast-paced and intense. The Shadow and Freya's Killteam will have a brutal and grounded style, while Conner will lean into his parkour agility and the MMA his brother taught him to create his own unique style.

The Bourne Trilogy meets "The Punisher" with a dash of "Amazing Spiderman".

Zane Barber will be coordinating the action; and with his two decades of martial arts experience and eight years of stunt coordination he will ensure quality action that resonates.

Our lead actor, Ithan Valentino, is also a regular at Jackson Wink MMA and will be bringing that expertise and his five years of ninja and parkour experience to elevate Conner to be a truly stellar film!