THREE AND A HALF SECONDS - Thriller (psychological) for a female lead
Synopsis: You can't hide her from the courts, yells a man's voice from inside a hotel room when a tall women, AIDA, storms out the door and leaves. She is watched by BRUCE, unseen. Later the news report the death of the man in the hotel room. He was a lawyer.
Manhattan: Still grieving her late dad, ASHLEY MORGAN, a young New York fashion reporter, has been assigned to write about the designer who was honored at Fashion Week this year -- Aida. She's difficult, warns TAMMY, Ashley's best friend and photographer. But Ashley, who admires Aida, seems to be lucky, does Aida in fact grant her an interview at her next show - in Hawaii. In a dark corridor Ashley runs into Bruce. He apologizes like a gentleman. Ashley blushes. Tammy finally agrees to join Ashley in Hawaii. But first they stumble over some of Aida's secrets: One is Bruce, who is Aida's ex-husband and just served a 10-year-prison term... -- Bruce is mad, believes Aida has concealed their child from him and betrayed him with the lawyer. After passionate sex in his hotel room, Aida invites him to Hawaii: I need you there. -- Ashley alone discovers another secret: Her dad had filed a custody claim for Aida's 10-year-old daughter Jessie (based on the mother's insanity). Ashley's jaw drops. -- Kauai, Hawaii: In a beautiful room, JESSIE plays a figure puzzle and watches as rain drops pool into rivers on the window pane... -- Tammy leaves first, sends photos to Ashley, one showing Aida entering a "Home for Autistic Children," another of Bruce at the hotel in the opening.
Honolulu: When Ashley arrives, Tammy has disappeared, so has Aida. Instead she spots Bruce and follows him to a motor yacht. When Bruce goes off board, Ashley sneaks on, finds Tammy's scarf... Then she gets trapped and put out to sea. Ashley fears that Bruce has not only killed his ex-wife, also Tammy, maybe even her dad, and that she will be next. After a cat and mouse chase on the boat, Ashley slips overboard and swims in the open sea toward a distant sailing boat. Bruce catches up, saves her from becoming fish food, as he says, and in a sudden hormone rush, is about the force sex on her. But he gets shot right in front of Ashley's very eyes -- by Aida. Only short is Ashley's relief as Aida now points the gun at her. Cautiously Ashley sympathizes with Aida about her dad's custody claim. The gun shakes in Aida's hand, and she seems to come around. - But when Ashley asks about Tammy, Aida's eyes turn fiery again. She rumbles below. Ashley snatches dead Bruce's gun. Aida reappears with Tammy, wearing a blood-soaked head bandage. Pointing the gun at her, Aida claims that Tammy's photos exposed Jessie's safety. And so did her late dad's custody claim, Ashley now understands. - Two gunshots go off. Falling, Aida grabs Ashley's arm and drags her along overboard. Sinking quickly, Aida is dying from Ashley's gun shot, Ashley threatens to drown in Aida's tight grip. Then, with a last wink, Aida lets go of Ashley...
Kauai: At the Home for Autistic Children, Ashley picks up Jessie, who is her half-sister.
Screenplay Synopsis
Three and a Half Seconds