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The Calculated Hike

Two boys with opposite views on planning learn the values and limits of taking action and thinking things through when their friend goes missing on their unsupervised hike.
Submitted by: Home School
Genre: Adventure • Drama • Family
Shooting Location: Southbridge, MA
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Screenplay Synopsis:
Three boys are excited to be on their first campout in a small, local park without adult supervision. Michael, the self-appointed leader that has carefully calculated and thought through every detail of the trip, does his best to organize Frankie, who is fun-loving and implusive, and Jim, who is unconfident because of his speech impediment. When they set off on a hike that Michael has carefully routed, Frankie cannot help but start a game of tag that ultimately separates Frankie and Michael from Jim. Both worried and anxious to find their friend, Michael and Frankie's opposite personalities clash. Michael tries to think through their options and the best path forward while Frankie immediately goes searching for Jim. Their differences culminate in a raw, honest, and revealing argument in which accusations are made, fingers are pointed, and feelings are hurt. Defeated, Michael and Frankie return to their campsite with the intention of getting a park ranger to help. As they walk back to camp, we can feel them thinking and processing. Michael slowly realizes that planning and thought is not everything while Frankie understands that action without intention can be counterproductive. Shortly after arriving at their site, Jim emerges from the woods unscathed. Michael embraces him as he acknowledges internally that his controlling tendencies can lead to harm rather than assurance.

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Director's statement:

The Calculated Hike draws largely on my experiences in Scouting America, which took an anxious boy that always needed the plan and slowly grew him into someone that respects the need for spontaneity and unplanned happenings. Michael cares deeply for his friends and, seeing himself as responsible for them, cannot at first see that his overbearing and controlling nature does not allow Frankie's actions to thrive or Jim to become strong despite his disability. This is a feeling that many people that love to any extent can relate to. My film does not rely on anything other than the human understanding of what it means to try to protect and control in the face of uncertainty and obstacles. This is not a film about a boy that got lost or a leader that failed, but a human that surrendered his flawed view of leadership. I want audiences to relate with Michael's yearning for control and need for surrender as they reflect on their own lives and balance the calculated with the unexpected.
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