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A coming‑of‑age drama that follows an emotionally stunted high schooler who, thrown out of his house for being gay, has to revisit old friends and repair some burnt bridges, all in the name of finding a couch to crash on, during what could be described as one of the worst days of his young life.
LF TEAM POV
The 2020 Nicholl award-winning script SADBOI is a coming-of-age drama that follows an emotionally-stunted high schooler who, thrown out of the house for being gay, has to revisit old friends and repair some burnt bridges all in the name of finding a couch to crash on. This story about queer sexuality manages to evade the pitfalls of every trope. The Level Forward Team found it to be fresh and enthralling, based on the story alone.
We became even more excited by the creative team: an Academy Award and three-time Emmy Award winning directing duo known for their Oscar winning short, TWO DISTANT STRANGERS. Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe are both a formidable team, and individually accomplished. Travon Free’s writing and directing can be found on Showtime, HBO, and Comedy Central where he was the co-head writer on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. Martin Roe has directed multiple series on Netflix, the Cannes Lion winning Breaking2 as well as over 50 Nike commercials.
Mockingbird Pictures, a Spielberg collaborator, has led script and project development.
TIMING
Team is currently in packaging phase, working to attach cast and lock locations and funding.
CREATIVE TEAM & ATTACHED TALENT
SYNOPSIS
A coming‑of‑age drama that follows an emotionally stunted high schooler who, thrown out of his house for being gay, has to revisit old friends and repair some burnt bridges, all in the name of finding a couch to crash on, during what could be described as one of the worst days of his young life.
IMPACT THEMES
IAG INSIGHTS
Coming soon
Director/producer impact vision
Coming Soon
IMPACT STRATEGY
Sadboi's challenges are universally relatable and yet quite specific. We see a world of wonder juxtaposed with a world of obstacles - he just can't catch a break... and yet...he's able to be hopeful. We believe young people, and especially queer young people, will see themselves in Sadboi and in his push and pull of fitting in and standing out, getting by and living his fullest life. These contrasts and adjacencies create fertile ground for partners who work with young people and we envision the brand of SADBOI being a component of being seen and heard in a world that is generally too noisy and busy to pay attention. This is a film that can change lives and our impact strategy draws attention to younger people, and their need for self-actualization and acceptance, at a younger age - rather than viewing adulthood as the destination.
VIDEOS
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Additionally INFORMATION
From writer James Acker, on the context & inspiration for Sadboi....
Once I decided I wanted to do coming‑of‑age stories, it was a matter of picking through those emotions and finding which were the biggest engines. What were the things I was feeling so hard at the time that I could never express? What could I work through now on the page?
For “SadBoi,” that engine came from a four‑year‑long frustration I had through high school of people not understanding why I was upset. [laughs] It became a part of “SadBoi,” but high school was essentially a lot of people asking what’s wrong with me but never what’s wrong.
I have drastic eyebrows, some would say. They’re big. They are, on a scale of No Eyebrows to Eugene Levy, somewhere around an eight. If I don’t do anything with them, they really hang on my face angrily. I look pissed off all the time or on the verge of a breakdown even when I’m happy.
Because of this, all through high school I was constantly getting told, “You look upset. Can you stay after class? Hey, what’s wrong with you?” It was constant. “You look so angry, what’s wrong with you? You look so upset.” But they were just looking at my eyebrows. Which was very frustrating in a way that was hard to put into words at the time.
I felt called out. Or figured out. Because I did have a lot going on in my head. I was a closeted kid in New Jersey, of course I was upset. Of course I was angry. I was constantly freaking out, but I knew these people didn’t actually want to hear that. I knew they were just looking at my eyebrows. I didn’t know how to explain my face or my life to them, and I didn’t think they’d want the real answer. At a certain point, everything just felt like an accusation.
A lot of frustration fueled “SadBoi” and honestly writing it down helped me work through some of that old stuff.
PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL