SHORT FILM: AN INTELLIGENT DINNER
Genre: Science Fiction / Drama with darkly comic elements
Synopsis
A family gathers around an elegant dinner table as the world approaches an extraordinary turning point. Artificial life has become almost indistinguishable from human life, but dwindling resources mean that all AI and robotic life is about to be permanently shut down.
As the family waits for the shutdown, long-held secrets begin to emerge. Relationships, memories and identities are called into question as each revelation makes it increasingly difficult to know where humanity ends and artificial life begins.
A character-led science-fiction short exploring identity, love, prejudice, grief and what it actually means to be human.
ROLES
ALICE
Female
Playing age: 18–20
Principal role
Playing age: 18–20
Principal role
Alice works within the family home and is believed by everyone around her to be a domestic robot.
There is something slightly unusual about her. She can appear awkward and inexperienced in social situations, particularly when trying to imitate the appearance or behaviour expected of her. She is treated by some members of the family as little more than a machine, while Armandy treats her with considerably more kindness.
Alice is observant, gentle and emotionally sensitive beneath her reserved exterior. As the impending shutdown approaches, her fear becomes increasingly difficult to conceal.
The role develops considerably as the story progresses and carries one of the film’s most important revelations.
Requires an actor capable of subtle screen work and allowing thought and emotion to emerge without overplaying them.
Please note: Alice and Armandy share a brief, gentle kiss and embrace during the film.
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ARMANDY
Male
Playing age: 18–22
Principal role
Playing age: 18–22
Principal role
Armandy is the youngest member of the family and Giselle’s younger brother.
Sensitive, compassionate and somewhat idealistic, he has formed a genuine attachment to Alice and strongly objects to the way other people dismiss artificial life as somehow inferior.
He is initially shy around Alice but his feelings for her become increasingly apparent.
During the dinner, Armandy’s understanding of his family and of his own world is progressively dismantled. What begins as concern for Alice becomes a much larger emotional journey involving grief, identity and uncertainty about everything he believed to be true.
A warm, emotionally accessible character who provides much of the human heart of the story.
Please note: Armandy and Alice share a brief, gentle kiss and embrace.
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VICTOR
Male
Playing age: Mid-40s–50s
Principal role
Playing age: Mid-40s–50s
Principal role
The father of Armandy and Giselle and the dominant figure at the dinner table.
Victor is connected to the company responsible for artificial life and knows considerably more about the approaching shutdown than the rest of his family.
Authoritative, intelligent and accustomed to being listened to, there is nevertheless a heaviness about him from the moment he enters.
He carries enormous knowledge and responsibility and spends much of the evening deciding how and when to reveal truths that will devastate the people around him.
There should be both strength and vulnerability in Victor. At times he can appear intimidating or emotionally distant, but beneath that is grief, exhaustion and a desperate attachment to his family.
A substantial dramatic role requiring presence, stillness and emotional weight.
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LILA
Female
Playing age: 40s–50s
Supporting role
Playing age: 40s–50s
Supporting role
Victor’s wife and mother to Armandy and Giselle.
Lila enters the dinner already carrying a sense of unease. She attempts to maintain the appearance of an ordinary family gathering, but it is clear that she knows something is wrong.
Warm and socially gracious on the surface, she is uncomfortable with Victor’s behaviour and increasingly alarmed by the direction of the conversation.
There is an underlying sadness to Lila and a strong sense of a woman trying to hold things together as circumstances move beyond her control.
A quieter role that relies on truthful listening, reaction and an ability to communicate what is happening beneath the dialogue.
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ROBERT
Male
Suggested playing age: Late 20s–mid 30s
The screenplay does not specify Robert’s age; he should plausibly read as Giselle’s husband.
Suggested playing age: Late 20s–mid 30s
The screenplay does not specify Robert’s age; he should plausibly read as Giselle’s husband.
Supporting role
Robert is Giselle’s husband and has a long-standing connection with Victor.
He initially appears controlled and respectful but is clearly carrying information that he does not want to confront.
Unlike Giselle, Robert has experienced an intense and enduring love for his wife, and this relationship becomes central to one of the evening’s major revelations.
There is restraint in Robert for much of the film, followed by a deeply personal disclosure which reveals both the extent of his love and the tragedy within their relationship.
Requires emotional sincerity and the ability to suggest significant inner conflict without signalling the character’s secret too early.
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GISELLE (cast)
Female
Playing age: Mid-20s
Principal role
Playing age: Mid-20s
Principal role
Armandy’s older sister and Robert’s wife.
Giselle is sharp, sarcastic and frequently very funny, but there is an underlying bitterness to her.
She openly dislikes robots and mocks Armandy’s attachment to Alice. She can be cutting, provocative and dismissive, particularly when she feels challenged.
As the evening progresses, Giselle is confronted with information that fundamentally threatens her understanding of who she is.
The role requires both strong comic timing and dramatic ability. Her confidence, hostility and certainty are gradually challenged by increasingly disturbing revelations.
A strong character role with significant emotional and psychological shifts.
Please note: The character handles a knife during a threatening moment within the story. This will be performed under controlled production conditions.
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GRANDMA BETH (cast)
Female
Suggested playing age: 65+
The screenplay describes her as an elderly woman but gives no specific age.
Suggested playing age: 65+
The screenplay describes her as an elderly woman but gives no specific age.
Supporting / Character role
Grandma Beth is the elderly grandmother of the family.
At first she appears unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Her eyes constantly assess the people around her and her previous behaviour has left several members of the family wary of her.
There is humour in the family’s nervousness around her, but Beth is far more perceptive than she initially appears.
When she finally speaks openly, another side of the character emerges: intelligent, angry and acutely aware of the way she believes she has been diminished and controlled.
A distinctive character role suited to an actor with strong presence who can move between unsettling behaviour, dark humour and genuine emotional intelligence.
Please note: The character handles a table knife and repeatedly strikes/stabs it into a plate as part of the scripted action.
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ADDITIONAL CASTING INFORMATION
The film contains themes of:
* Artificial intelligence and human identity
* Death and bereavement
* Family conflict
* Prejudice and dehumanisation
* Characters collapsing as artificial life shuts down
* Controlled use of prop/table knives
* Physical embraces
* A brief gentle kiss between Alice and Armandy
* Death and bereavement
* Family conflict
* Prejudice and dehumanisation
* Characters collapsing as artificial life shuts down
* Controlled use of prop/table knives
* Physical embraces
* A brief gentle kiss between Alice and Armandy
No accent is specified in the screenplay.
To apply:
Please submit [HEADSHOT / SHOWREEL / CV / SELF-TAPE REQUIREMENTS].
Please submit [HEADSHOT / SHOWREEL / CV / SELF-TAPE REQUIREMENTS].
Further production and audition information will be supplied to shortlisted applicants