Short strokes
6 episode dramedy TV series
Emotionally raw
Real life situations told from the point of view of a man who seemingly has everything but his physical, and ultimately mental blocks, limit him severly.
Self deprecating
The humor comes from the main characters inability to overcome themselves. They put themselves in situations that often lead them to fail while missing the gifts that are right in front of them.
Melancholic and reflective
Slow burn, we take our time to build up scenes and stories. Simple scenes, few characters. Mostly conversation driven.
Logline
Halli, a middle-aged wheelchair user, spirals into suicidal depression after selling his company and fulfilling what he thought were his lifelong dreams.
With his reckless and care-free half-brother and his devoted, but overbearing, personal assistant by his side, he sets out on a mission to discover his purpose by confronting his fear of failure and the ultimate terror of looking foolish by trying everything he had been afraid of before.
Main characters
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Main characters •
Halli (47 years old)
Iceland´s highest tax-payer three years in a row after selling his design-company. Man of the year two years in a row in his home country. Awarded the Presidential medal of chivalry.
Happily married for 15 years. 2 wonderful kids.
Multiple projects in a row have exceeded expectations. And he has started to define himself by his success. Finishes everything he starts and doesn’t allow himself to quit which becomes an issue when a project he’s working on fails and he can’t stop.
Grew up walking differently than the other kids and was made fun of because of it, causing a low self-esteem. Lost his mom when he was young which created intimacy issues.
Saviour complex but can be also be cold and controlling.
Uses a wheelchair. Fears rejection and failure and is terrified of looking foolish. Despite (or because of) all his success he has become depressed and lacks purpose.
„Who am I? And what´s the point?“
Niels (37 years old)
Halli´s half brother. Moved away with his father when their mother died when he was very young. Halli and Niels haven’t been in regular contact.
Mostly raised by his recently deceased grandmother in France, and speaks very broken Icelandic. Comes back into Halli’s life after her passing and right as Halli’s new project is failing.
Not in touch with his feelings and can´t communicate his needs clearly. Doesn´t like commitment or responsibility. Never finishes anything he starts.
Reckless with money and carefree about life. All his friends have families and careers but he still lives like a teenager.
Wants to be famous and celebrated without having to make an effort.
A chameleon who lacks boundaries and overshares. Good looking and charming.
Longs to connect to his absent dad, a narcissistic french cinema director. Drives Halli to let go of his project and start trying new things.
„My reason d´etre is jou de vivre!“
Lutzka (59 years old)
Halli´s personal assistant when he starts traveling.
German, grew up in communist Czechoslovakia, escaped with her parents to the US when she was young. Has a thick accent.
Thinks money is evil and that Halli is an asshole who does stupid things.
Very straightforward and tells it like it is but naive and often misunderstands the situation.
Gave up on her dream to be a writer to protect herself from rejection and humiliation. Afraid of success.
Demands attention and respect but rarely gets it. Ultimately wants community and belonging.
Doesn´t have family alive and never had kids.
Bi-sexual recovering sex and love addict.
„We’re all just monkeys“
Comparables
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Comparables •
Themes
Adventure and discovery
The trio goes on a series of adventures. Some of them succeed, some fail, and some lead to new definitions of success.
Contentment and gratitude
All the characters are looking for outside validation to heal their wounds. Ultimately they need to find gratitude for what they have.
Perception and image
A person’s life can seem one way but in reality their inner life is completely different. We are all the main characters in a story nobody else sees.
Privilege and power
Each character has some kind of privilege the others are missing. They are keenly aware of what they are missing but not always aware of what they have.
Friendship and family
The trio are an unlikely group that finds a bond between them that together lifts them up beyond their individual abilities.
Home and belonging
All of the three main characters are drifting and feel out of place where they are, never quite belonging.