Compulsion – A strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act; especially one that is irrational or contrary to one’s will.
We all have them to some degree:
- Turning on and off light switches a certain number of times before leaving a room.
- Sticking your money in your wallet or purse with the presidents’ heads facing up.
- Or the most common compulsion of all – watching porn.
What? Really? No one?
Fortunately, compulsions are usually harmless. Except in the case of Thomas, the antagonist in James Barron’s aptly titled short script Compulsion.
Thomas sits rigidly in the professionally sterile office of female therapist Dr. Selma as he explains his uncontrollable urge to photograph unsuspecting women.
Dr. Selma worries that Thomas’s compulsion and fantasies may lead to more dangerous behavior.
And speaking of unsuspecting women…
As the session goes on, Thomas reveals his latest obsession: a woman he photographs every night. A woman whose scent fills every molecule of air he breathes. A woman who doesn’t regard him as a monster. A woman whose name rhymes with Dr. Melma.
Outraged that Thomas has broken into her home and invaded her privacy, Dr. Selma demands he leave immediately. But Thomas, like all good compulsive psychotics, has distinctly different plans.
Much like classic Alfred Hitchcock films, Compulsion is a dark, brooding suspenseful tale. Directors who appreciate the psycho thriller genre should analyze this short script. Quick – before things go… quite awry.
Pages: 5
Budget: Low. Two characters. A small office. A Hannibal Lecter cutlery set.