LAST Woman

COVERAGE

LOGLINE: When a brilliant scientist suffering from PTSD invents a device that can make her invisible, she discovers it actually transports her to parallel universes—and now she must navigate an infinite web of realities to find her way back to her family while being hunted across dimensions by the man who once tried to kill her.


Based on my thorough review of the full screenplay, I give it a RECOMMEND.

This is an exceptional screenplay that masterfully blends high-concept science fiction with profound emotional depth. The script creates a compelling quantum multiverse framework that serves both as an intriguing sci-fi premise and a powerful metaphor for trauma recovery and personal agency.

Strengths:

  1. Complex, nuanced protagonist: Danielle Franklin is brilliantly characterized—a trauma survivor whose scientific brilliance is both her shield and her pathway to healing. Her journey from victim to someone who actively chooses her reality creates a powerful emotional arc.

  2. Well-developed supporting characters: Maya's blend of science and spirituality, Bryan's quiet protective nature, and Justin's conflicted brilliance all enrich the story. Even antagonist Carson is terrifyingly well-crafted.

  3. Thematic depth: The screenplay explores profound themes about identity, trauma, choice, and what constitutes "home" with remarkable intelligence and sensitivity.

  4. Visual storytelling: The script creates striking visual metaphors—particularly the catwalk scene in the new third act, where Danielle physically confronts the place of her trauma.

  5. Dialogue improvements: The revised dialogue exchanges maintain necessary exposition while feeling more natural, allowing character relationships to shine through.

  6. Third act resolution: The added scene provides perfect emotional closure, creating a satisfying conclusion to Danielle's journey across the multiverse.

Areas for minor improvement:

  1. The CIA subplot could be slightly streamlined.

  2. A few scene transitions between universe shifts could be more distinctive to help orient the audience.

This screenplay stands out for its intelligent handling of scientific concepts while delivering profound emotional resonance. The multiverse premise allows for a uniquely powerful exploration of trauma, identity, and choice. With its strong character work, thematic depth, and emotional intelligence, this script offers a rare combination of intellectual stimulation and genuine heart.

Main Characters

DR. DANIELLE FRANKLIN (30s) - Gorgeous with stylish, shorter hair. A brilliant scientist and founding partner at Bio-Sec who developed revolutionary security technology. Suffers from PTSD after being raped and nearly killed by Carson. Wears scarves to hide neck scars. Her fear of being alone drives her inventions but limits her life. Potential actors: Jessica Chastain, Rebecca Ferguson, Naomi Watts

BRYAN FRANKLIN (30s) - Geeky-cute with kind eyes. Danielle's supportive husband who works with computer systems. Quietly protective, he's been building digital security systems to track Carson while carving wooden family figurines. Patient and loving despite Danielle's struggles. Potential actors: Adam Scott, John Krasinski, Kumail Nanjiani

JUSTIN (30-40s) - Handsome with tussled hair. A scientist at Bio-Sec who could be a male model but wears a lab coat. Works closely with Danielle on the fazer/pulse device. Harbors romantic feelings for Danielle in some universes. Brilliant but ethically conflicted. Potential actors: Oscar Isaac, Dan Stevens, Jake Gyllenhaal

CARSON MACKAY (30s in flashbacks, 60s in present) - Tall and lean with piercing, cold eyes and a cultured baritone voice. A theater director whose meticulous appearance and half-smile hide his predatory nature. Obsessed with fear and control, particularly over Danielle. Appears in multiple universes. Potential actors: Young: Nicholas Hoult, Present: Ben Mendelsohn, Jeremy Irons

Supporting Characters

MAYA (30s) - Beautiful Native American woman with dark black thick hair tied back in a ponytail. Bio-Sec researcher with a steel plate in her head from Afghanistan. Bridges scientific knowledge with Native American spiritual traditions. Offers wisdom through Cherokee proverbs. Potential actors: Devery Jacobs, Julia Jones, Lily Gladstone

EMILY (60s) - Plump administrative assistant with sharp eyes. Half assistant, half fierce warrior with meticulous documentation habits. Former executive assistant at Cormac Pharmaceuticals who joined Bio-Sec after witnessing corporate negligence. Potential actors: Margo Martindale, Jane Lynch, Kathy Bates

LAURA (30s) - Striking therapist with incongruous four-inch heels despite using a cane. Danielle's college friend who helps her manage PTSD. Empathetic but direct, with her own past trauma from jumping off a roof while drunk. Potential actors: Zoe Saldaña, Olivia Wilde, Lizzy Caplan

ROBERT (60s) - Tall, imposing executive and founding partner at Bio-Sec. Money-focused with cold calculation behind his professional demeanor. Willing to weaponize the fazer technology despite initial promises. Potential actors: J.K. Simmons, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Bridges

FRANK PRUETT (50s) - Slick banker with practiced smiles. Initially a client for Bio-Sec's spit recognition technology, later becomes involved in the military applications of the fazer device. Predatory business instincts hidden beneath expensive suits. Potential actors: Kyle Chandler, Jon Hamm, Stanley Tucci

CHANDRA FRANKLIN (8) - A tiny miniature of Danielle with curious eyes and boundless energy. Danielle and Bryan's daughter who brings light to their lives. Innocent but perceptive about her mother's fears. Potential actors: Mckenna Grace, Julia Butters, Brooklynn Prince

SAM (60s) - Security guard at Bio-Sec who helps protect Danielle and keeps track of Carson's whereabouts. Potential actors: Stephen Root, Nick Offerman, Richard Jenkins

Animal Characters

SADIE - Small female dog who works with Justin on pulse testing. Loves Skittles and is instrumental in Danielle's discovery of the multiverse technology.

PETER - Male dog of the same breed as Sadie, appears in alternate universes.

Similar Movies and Box Office Results

Looking at your screenplay "Pulse," it shares themes, concepts, and narrative approaches with several notable films that have found commercial and critical success in recent years. Here's how it compares to similar multiverse and sci-fi thriller movies:

Multiverse/Parallel Reality Films

  1. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

    • Box Office: $143.4 million worldwide on a $25 million budget

    • Acclaim: Won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture

    • Connection: Like "Pulse," it uses the multiverse concept to explore trauma, identity, and family relationships. The film became A24's highest-grossing film ever and proved that complex sci-fi with emotional depth can succeed commercially.

  2. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

    • Box Office: Approximately $1.8 billion worldwide

    • Connection: While more mainstream than your screenplay, it demonstrated the massive commercial appeal of multiverse concepts when tied to emotional character arcs.

  3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

    • Box Office: Over $955 million worldwide

    • Connection: Mixed critical reception showed that audiences want more than just spectacle from multiverse stories, which "Pulse" provides with its emotional depth.

Intimate Sci-Fi Thrillers

  1. Coherence (2013)

    • Box Office: Low-budget indie success ($100K budget)

    • Connection: Like "Pulse," it explores quantum physics concepts and parallel realities in an intimate setting. While not a blockbuster, it developed a strong cult following and proved the commercial viability of smart, low-budget sci-fi.

  2. Arrival (2016)

    • Box Office: $203 million worldwide on a $47 million budget

    • Connection: Similar to "Pulse," it centers on a female scientist dealing with profound personal trauma while encountering something extraordinary. Its success proved audiences will embrace intellectually challenging sci-fi with emotional depth.

  3. Looper (2012)

    • Box Office: $176 million worldwide on a $30 million budget

    • Connection: Explores time manipulation and alternate timelines with a focus on personal stakes rather than world-ending scenarios, similar to "Pulse."

Commercial Viability

The market for intelligent science fiction with emotional depth has proven increasingly viable in recent years. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" demonstrated that multiverse concepts can succeed without superhero budgets when they connect deeply with audiences. The slow-build "platform release" strategy used for that film could work well for "Pulse."

Your screenplay combines the commercial appeal of the multiverse concept with the emotional intimacy of films like "Arrival," positioning it well for both critical acclaim and commercial success in the current market that's hungry for fresh takes on reality-bending premises.

Save the Cat Beat Sheet

1. Opening Image (1%)

DR. DANIELLE FRANKLIN demonstrates her revolutionary security technology to bank executives, impressing them with her spit-recognition door system. Her professional composure crumbles when she hallucinates her attacker Carson's severed head, revealing the trauma beneath her success.

2. Theme Stated (5%)

When Emily mentions during their conversation that "Robert's a money man first. Remember that," she hints at the film's core theme: true security comes not from external devices or measures but from within oneself and through human connection.

3. Set-Up (1-10%)

We see Danielle's carefully controlled life - wearing scarves to hide her neck scars, needing Bryan to check for dangers, and being unable to go out alone at night. We meet her loving family (Bryan and Chandra), her work colleagues (Maya, Justin, Emily), and glimpse flashbacks to Carson's attack. The fazer device is introduced as Danielle's potential salvation.

4. Catalyst (12%)

Danielle accidentally pulses with Sadie the dog, disappearing into the "between world" - finding herself alone in an empty version of her office building. When she returns, she realizes the fazer can make her invisible/phase her out of reality.

5. Debate (12-25%)

Danielle struggles with whether to test the fazer further. She takes a risk by going to the pet store alone at night (resulting in police involvement), showing her desperation for normalcy. She debates with Bryan about testing the device, and discovers her company wants to weaponize her technology rather than use it for personal safety.

6. Break into Two (25%)

Danielle decides to pulse again, officially entering the multiverse and starting her journey across realities. She willingly steps into the unknown, determined to master the fazer technology.

7. B Story (30%)

The relationship with Justin develops across different universes, representing an alternative path for Danielle. In some universes, they're romantically involved, contrasting with her marriage to Bryan in her home universe. This relationship helps illuminate Danielle's choices and what truly matters to her.

8. Fun and Games (30-55%)

Danielle experiences different versions of her life across multiple universes - ones where she wasn't attacked, where she leaves Bryan for Justin, and where Carson is a theater director rather than a prisoner. She discovers inconsistencies (hamster names, appointments, pepperoni pizza orders) that confirm these are genuinely different realities, not just hallucinations.

9. Midpoint (55%)

Danielle realizes the full implications of the multiverse when she encounters Carson in the elevator while pulsing, confirming he can travel between universes too. The stakes rise dramatically from personal discovery to potential danger as she realizes Carson might be pursuing her across realities.

10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75%)

Carson appears in multiple universes, threatening not just Danielle but Chandra too. Danielle grows increasingly disoriented, unable to tell which reality is her original one. Her relationship with Bryan deteriorates in some universes, while the CIA plans to weaponize the fazer technology, removing it from Danielle's control.

11. All Is Lost (75%)

Danielle discovers Carson has a fazer device and is hunting her across universes. She learns he's kidnapped "her" in another universe and has plans for Chandra. With the CIA taking all the devices tomorrow, she's running out of time and options to stop him.

12. Dark Night of the Soul (80%)

In the "between world" with Justin, Danielle confronts the horrifying choice: stay safe in the emptiness with him or risk returning to a universe where Carson has her captive. She chooses to risk everything for her family, even knowing the danger.

13. Break into Three (85%)

Danielle formulates a plan using her scientific knowledge of the fazer and quantum physics. She wraps a rubber band around a half-spent device, giving it to Carson to trap him forever in the "between world."

14. Finale (85-95%)

Danielle pulses into the theater where Carson has her captive. Using her strategy, she tricks Carson into taking the rigged fazer, sending him permanently to the "between world." She escapes, reunites with Bryan and Justin, and ultimately chooses her family over the technology she invented.

15. Final Image (100%)

In the new third act scene, Danielle stands on the catwalk where Carson once left her hanging, no longer afraid. She removes her scarf, revealing her scars, symbolizing her acceptance of her past and choice to live without fear. She walks with Bryan and Chandra toward the light outside the theater, leaving the darkness behind.