THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES

Post your loglines. Get and give feedback.

THE HOMING PIGEON
By Oleg Bazylewicz

GENRE: Mystery, Crime
LOGLINE:

A young flight attendant finds out that she can see ghosts. Though frustrated, she collects herself and uses her newfound ability to expose the substantial criminal network of drug traffickers operating just under the noses of the local police.

SYNOPSIS:

At the beginning of this character-driven, female-led story set in limited locations, Jennifer, a young cabin crew member, engages in conversations with Emelin, an older lady, in the aft galley of a plane during a flight. As the story progresses, it is revealed that Emelin is a ghost, and her body rests in a coffin in the cargo section. Meanwhile, Emelin's husband, Miguel, who is in the cabin, accompanies the body, preparing for tomorrow’s funeral. Miguel realizes that Jennifer has indeed seen the ghost of his late wife.

Having come back home, Jennifer is haunted by thoughts of the ghost she encountered. Even being with her loving partner, Luis, fails to provide much solace. In a nightmare, Emelin communicates with Jennifer and urges her to check Jennifer’s wheeled suitcase.

When Luis departs in the morning, Jennifer inspects her suitcase thoroughly. After emptying its contents, she discovers a peculiar plastic panel with small screws, which she dismantles. To her shock, she uncovers a concealed compartment for drug smuggling, containing over half a kilo of heroin powder! Overwhelmed, she calls 911.

Detective Robert escorts Jennifer to the police station for interrogation. While in the car, Jennifer catches sight of Emelin once again. Emelin informs Jennifer that she must save Luis, revealing his involvement in drug smuggling. Jennifer ingeniously finds a way to warn Luis by convincing Robert to stop at a café where Jennifer used to work. There, she secretly passes a warning note and Luis’ phone number to her old friend George, the café owner, asking him to contact Luis.

George calls Luis and informs him that the police have got Jennifer and her suitcase. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Luis rushes to his superiors in the drug trafficking gang, Pepe (the boss) and Alonzo (the logistics manager). It is Alonzo who initially involved Luis in the illicit business.

Emelin visits Jennifer in the holding room, providing valuable insights. Miguel, her husband, was a police officer in Monterrey who dedicated his life to pursuing drug traffickers. Interestingly, Luis is now working for the very same criminal network responsible for Emelin’s demise in a recent set-up car crash.

Emelin advises Jennifer to locate Miguel and obtain the crucial information the local police have been missing. Jennifer understands that only by exposing the network can she reclaim her life.

Although Jennifer withholds certain details from the police, she offers fragments of information to secure their assistance in protecting her fellow cabin crew members, Meagan and Christine, who are unknowingly involved in the drug smuggling operation. It is Luis who tampered with their wheeled suitcases for illicit purposes.

Pepe and Alonzo dispatch Luis and two ruthless henchmen, John and Jim, to collect the remaining heroin from Meagan and Christine's residences. However, forewarned by Jennifer, two police officers, Alex and Thom, nearly apprehend the criminals as they attempt to retrieve Meagan's suitcase. A brief shootout ensues, resulting in Thom sustaining minor injuries, while the criminals manage to escape.

Following Jennifer's request, George continues to assist her friends. He temporarily shelters Meagan and Christine to shield them from criminals and the police, who may suspect the girls’ involvement in the trafficking ring. Robert deduces this and visits George's residence, but he and his boss, Joanna, the head of the police station, worry about Jennifer's independent investigations.

Jennifer meets Miguel in a city park, a significant location where Miguel had previously confided in Emelin. Emelin's guidance leads Jennifer there. Sitting on a bench, Miguel provides Jennifer with all the information he has gathered about the drug smugglers.

Miguel is also a talented self-taught artist (as shown in the movie's opening scene). Now he draws a portrait of El Coyotl, the elusive mafia boss he has pursued for years without success. Armed with these notes and the portrait, Jennifer rushes to the police.

Once again, Emelin appears to Jennifer, commending her ability to piece together the entire puzzle with just a few hints, utilizing her intellect.

Meanwhile, Pepe and Alonzo hold Luis captive in their basement. Suspecting that Luis has betrayed them to the authorities, they fear that their criminal enterprise is now in jeopardy. Luis endures severe beatings, and they even send two thugs to confront Luis' wheelchair-bound uncle, Howard, as leverage. Luis had engaged in drug smuggling primarily to raise funds for Howard's spinal surgery.

The gangsters coerce Luis into calling Jennifer, intending to set a trap for her. However, Luis bravely warns her, shouting, "Run!" Jennifer comprehends that he is in grave danger.

Jennifer, Robert, Joanna, and Alex have dinner at "Huexolotl Turkey," a Mexican restaurant adjacent to the police station. Jennifer joins them and presents all her notes and the portrait of El Coyotl. The police officers are astounded to discover that El Coyotl is Pepe — the owner of the very restaurant. They believed Pepe was their friend!

Now it is time for police special force operation. The police quickly evacuate customers. One squad storms the upstairs premises where Pepe's office is located. A gunfight ensues, resulting in the deaths of John and several other bandits. However, Pepe, Alonzo, Jim, and Luis remain in the basement. The second squad breaches the basement, but Alonzo shoots Luis, ending his life. The police successfully apprehend Pepe, Alonzo, and Jim.

Late at night, Robert, Joanna, and Alex converse with Jennifer at the police station. Jennifer, devastated by Luis' death but still holding on well, provides explanations. To demonstrate that she genuinely communicated with the ghost of Emelin, she requests to view the footage captured in her holding room earlier that day. The officers recognize that her interaction was not a result of split personality or self-talk but an actual conversation with an unseen interlocutor.

A meeting with Miguel the following day would further substantiate Jennifer's supernatural abilities. But now it is already late, and everyone is exhausted. Joanna decides to stay with Jennifer for the night, providing solace to the distraught young woman.

Jennifer and Joanna come to Jennifer's apartment. Astonishingly, the ghost of Luis manifests! Knowing his limited time, he informs Jennifer where he concealed the money earned from his drug smuggling activities. He requests that Jennifer convince Howard to utilize the funds for the surgery.

Joanna, too, receives valuable information through Jennifer. Luis communicates that Joanna’s ex-partner wishes to reunite, emphasizing that he had never been unfaithful. “Tell her he has never slept with that bitch Sarah” - this message completely blows Joanna’s mind.

Overwhelmed by these extraordinary events, Joanna considers Jennifer a medium or fortune-teller. Still, Jennifer clarifies that she is merely a cabin crew member who can see and talk to ghosts.

Nate Rymer

Rated this logline

Nathaniel Baker

Rated this logline

register for stage 32 Register / Log In