A TORIC FILMS PRODUCTION

LOGLINE

A vigilante teenager responsible for secretly killing a string of sexual predators strikes an unlikely partnership with a contract assassin in the hopes of escaping her trailer park life.

SYNOPSIS

Deep in the swamps of Florida, the sweet, “innocent” Jane lives in a trailer park with her mother and dreams of escaping her poverty-stricken life. With no means to do so, she spends her time breaking into wealthy people’s homes when they are away. Her other pastime? Killing sexual predators who wrong her or others around her in some way, having seen the horrors firsthand as a foster child.

One of her recent kills winds up being the target of a professional assassin named Carter. Sensing her potential, Carter recruits her to pull off a new job while Jane uses it as a way out of her hellish life. A bond is formed between Carter and Jane, the former taking the role of mentor. To complete the job, Jane must go undercover as a stripper at a local club to gain the mark’s confidence and kill him on their date. The mark, however, turns out to be a detective from Orlando, and killing him is only the beginning of the web of deceit and betrayal she finds herself caught up in.

After barely surviving the first job, Jane discovers it was all a ruse for Carter to gain access to a safe hidden in the detective’s home. In the safe is a hard drive containing information that will make Carter a powerful man, but also provide Jane her own answers to questions that have eluded her for her entire life.

With Carter's loyalty in question and the police now in hot pursuit of a serial killer on the loose, Jane must use her cunning and wit to survive the deadliest game of cat and mouse she has ever played. Only this time, she is the mouse.

ABOVE THE LINE

Writers: Ryan Bliss

Director:

Producers: Ojan Missaghi & David Wachs

Genre: Suspense | Crime | Thriller

CHARACTERS

The photos of characters below are part of a visual mood board and represent the looks we are aiming for in casting.

These images are for reference purposes only.

JANE

(17) - A seemingly sweet, innocent teenage girl who hides a dark secret - killing with extreme ease the people who wrong her. She's someone who can switch at the drop of a hat from clever and charming to brutal and remorseless. Yet green in her approach, professional killer Carter instantly sees something worthwhile in her.

CARTER

(40) - Stubble beard. Chiseled muscular physique. A cold-blooded killer, killing only for profit or his own necessity. Never out of emotion. A career professional with an icy demeanor, while also showing real vulnerability with Jane. He takes on a heartfelt, but ultimately bittersweet father-daughter-like relationship with Jane.

BEAU HARRISON 

(60) – The chief of police hot on the trail of Jane. A good man and a good police officer, with strong family values, but is there more to Beau beneath his straight-edge demeanor?

NADINE

(35) – Jane’s mother. Also, a drug addict and overall untrustworthy person. She is willing to steal from Jane to get her needs met, but when push comes to shove, she looks to protect Jane the best way she knows how.

FREDDIE

(50) - A sleazy strip club owner and drug addict with his hand in many cookie jars, making him a valuable asset to keep close. Jaded from decades of witnessing crimes committed on both sides of the law, he trusts no one but himself.

TERENCE COLE

(45) – A dirty cop and Jane’s first mark. He can be funny and charming when needed, but sociopathic and utterly terrifying at other times, making him the perfect foil for Jane.

THEME

“SWEET BABY JANE” was written at the beginning of the pandemic, perhaps as a way of coping with all that was happening around us. The script became an obsession and an escape from the reality we found ourselves in. Maybe that is why the main character, Jane, is so eager to escape her reality.

From there, the story grew. It became a story of all that was happening around us.

A reflection of the world, but through the lens of an upbeat teenage girl from Florida who just so happens to be a serial killer. But a serial killer who follows a strict code. Regardless of how immoral it is, we root for her success. Because she has wants and desires, as we all do. Everyone wants more in life. Jane is doing it the only way she knows how.

Abrasive, funny, daring, and above all, entertaining, this is one film you could say is “the right story for the right time.”

 
 

"SWEET BABY JANE" is a suspenseful thriller that ratchets up the tension and always keeps the reader on their toes, uncertain about what will happen to our heroine but deeply invested in her story.

From its shocking opening moment to the earned and clever climax, this is a masterclass in how to write a high-concept, low-budget character study that never forsakes its thrills for pretentiousness and is elevated above mainstream thrillers precisely because everything hinges upon character. Jane drives the plot, not vice versa. The writing itself is so succinctly textural.

Even with stark minimal language, the script creates immersive environments. What's so impressive is that through structure alone, the writer endears us to a protagonist with few redeeming qualities.

Her initial killings are not softened. They are not accidental moments of manslaughter that come as a result of self-defense. She is a killer. Her targets are sexual predators, but she unflinchingly murders them.

Still, the suspense is sustained because the structure makes us want to see Jane survive and succeed. Every small setup is paid off at the right time, making for a satisfying ending that hits the "sweet" spot.

FILMING LOCATION