Screenplay
Ward Six
An asylum doctor is forced to face the consequences of his own desire for intellectual stimulation from a young male inmate.
- Historical Drama
- Feature
- In Post Production
- 2025
The Story
Synopsis
In an unspecified authoritarian country, asylum Doctor Andrew Rae risks everything to continue to engage with the one young man in town who equals him intellectually and emotionally. However, this man, Owen Grimes, has been recently incarcerated for killing two people and is thought to be insane.
The middle-aged Doctor's upstart assistant Irene Hobart sees the unusual relationship between the doctor and his charge unfolding in Ward Six as a chance to fulfil her own ambitions. To this end, she cunningly plays on the prejudices and weaknesses of the local elite and the asylum board.
Doctor Andrew, though, still has a firm protector in his housekeeper Magdalena. But, can she save the Doctor from the downward spiral engulfing Ward Six?
Highlights
At a Glance
Loose adaptation of Chekhov's Ward No. 6, relocated to an authoritarian state
Recently wrapped with Burdock Lodge Productions in Switzerland and Germany
Four-hander chamber drama anchored by the Doctor / Inmate dyad
Case Study
Brief · Approach · Outcome
- 01
The Brief
Relocate Chekhov's Ward No. 6 to an unspecified authoritarian state without losing the original's moral claustrophobia. Producers wanted a four-hander chamber piece anchored by a single principal location.
- 02
The Approach
I stripped the source novella down to its essential dyad — the Doctor and the inmate who matches him intellectually — and built every scene as a controlled escalation between four characters with incompatible needs. The asylum itself acts as a fifth character.
- 03
The Outcome
Recently wrapped principal photography with Burdock Lodge Productions in Switzerland and Germany. Currently in post production.
Themes
- Power
- Intellectual loneliness
- Institutional decay
- Witnessing
Target Audience
Festival circuit, prestige streaming, European co-production
"A claustrophobic moral inquisition that earns every word."
Gallery
Stills & Trailers
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Cast
Key Roles
Doctor Andrew Rae
TBD
Owen Grimes
TBD
Irene Hobart
TBD
Magdalena
TBD
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