Generic Thriller

A handful of characters are in search of a story that suits their liking in this gently surreal comedy from writer and director Scott Sublett. Steven (Daniel Donoghue) teaches college-level theater history and has decided to try writing a play of his own. Steven's original plan is modest -- he wants to write a traditional, old-fashioned murder mystery. But as he starts blocking out the characters, he decides to enjoy a bit of wish fulfillment -- he models one of the male leads after Mr. Vertigo (Craig Marker), the teacher he had a furious crush on in sixth grade, and he fills several of the secondary roles with hunky young men who have a habit of taking their shirts off. All well and good until Steven's characters begin developing minds of their own and begin to rebel -- they aren't happy with the plot or their motivations, they don't appreciate being modeled after Steven's friends, and they don't want to be stuck in some play that will open off-off Broadway when they could be in a movie instead. Generic Thriller received its world premiere at the 2009 Cinequest Film Festival.