SCENES
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Scene Map 60
# PG SLUGLINE
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INT EXT INT/EXT hover for full slug
Scene Map
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# PG SLUGLINE
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AMERICAN FICTION Written for the Screen by Cord Jefferson Based upon the novel 'Erasure' by Percival Everett OVER BLACK
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INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Monk is sitting before a tribunal of sorts. At a long table in front of him are three other professors: GILDA (white, 50s), MANDEL (white, 60s), and LEO (white, 50s), the chair of the English department.
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EXT. HOTEL - LATE AFTERNOON Monk is exiting a hotel with a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee. After a few steps, his phone buzzes in his pocket. It's his agent, ARTHUR (50s, gregarious). MONK
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INT. HOTEL EVENT ROOM - DAY Monk is at the front with TWO OTHER AUTHORS and a MODERATOR. A placard on an easel next to them reads, "REVITALIZING ANCIENT LITERATURE FOR THE MODERN AUDIENCE." One of the other authors is finishing a thought.
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INT. HOTEL EVENT ROOM - DAY INSERT - We're extremely close on a book poster. The book's title -- "We's Lives in Da Ghetto" -- is written in big font and accompanied by a stereotypical illustration.
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INT. PLANNED PARENTHOOD RECEPTION - CONTINUOUS Monk approaches a desk where a RECEPTIONIST sits. MONK Hi, I'm here to see Lisa Ellison. RECEPTIONIST
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EXT. MONK'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DUSK Lisa pulls her car into the driveway out front. LISA (V.O.) Welcome home, baby! INT. MONK'S CHILDHOOD HOME - MOMENTS LATER
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INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT Monk and Lisa are at a table in a bustling Cambridge restaurant. Their mother's chair is empty, and they're trying to speak quickly and quietly before she returns. MONK
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INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Monk lays atop his hotel bed wearing only his underwear. He’s watching Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005) on the hotel TV, specifically the scene in which MAJESTIC (Adewale Akinnuoye- Agbaje) explains the “house rules” of crack dealing to some
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INT. BOOKSTORE - MOMENTS LATER Ned has walked Monk to a section called "African-American Studies." NED Here you go.
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EXT. BAR - BACKYARD - AFTERNOON Lisa and Monk are seated at a small café table. Other PATRONS dot the area. Lisa has a cocktail while Monk sips a glass of wine. LISA
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INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - AFTERNOON Monk watches through a window as a MEDICAL TEAM works on Lisa. The window is narrow, allowing him a limited view of his sister. After a while, he sees the doctors and nurses start to recognize that their efforts aren't working -- Lisa
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INT. BEACH HOUSE - KITCHEN - AFTERNOON Monk comes inside to find Cliff sitting alone and having a glass of wine, the bottle open on the coffee table. MONK Where is everybody?
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INT. BEACH HOUSE - SECOND FLOOR BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER There's water coming from under the bathroom door. Monk knocks but nobody answers. MONK Mother?
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EXT. CORALINE'S HOUSE - EVENING The house is aglow with light from inside. CORALINE (PRE-LAP) I'm very sorry to hear that. INT. CORALINE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - EVENING
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EXT. CORALINE'S HOUSE - DUSK As Monk makes his way down Coraline's front steps, we can hear Jelani's laughter coming from the house. EXT. BEACH HOUSE - MORNING Monk and Cliff are packing up the car -- Lisa's old car -- as
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INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - WAITING ROOM - DAY Monk is sitting in a chair reading a copy of The Atlantic. He finishes an article and flips to the next page, where he finds a picture of...Sintara Golden. The article is a rave review of her book. We can tell it's a rave via closeups of
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INT. MONK'S CHILDHOOD HOME - STUDY - NIGHT Monk sits at his father’s old desk in front of his laptop, on which there’s a blank Word document. Next to Monk is his copy of The Atlantic, folded open to the Sintara Golden review. The cursor on the empty page blinks mockingly at Monk. After
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INT. MONK'S CHILDHOOD HOME - BEDROOM - DAY Monk watches TV in bed. The channel announces an upcoming "Black Stories Month." It shows clips of the movies being honored: gang violence in Baby Boy, slaves lined up in Antebellum, a teen mother in Precious, police brutality in
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EXT. ICE CREAM SHOP - AFTERNOON Monk and Coraline are eating ice cream cones as they walk down a path cutting through some tall grass. MONK I'm surprised you reached out. I
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INT. CORALINE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - SUNSET The sun is setting outside the window as Monk puts his clothes back on in Coraline's bedroom. Coraline enters, wearing only a robe, from an adjoining bathroom. MONK
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INT. CLIFF'S HOME - KITCHEN - AFTERNOON Cliff is in trousers and an unbuttoned shirt eating fast food. Lines of cocaine are in front of him on a small mirror. A French pop song from the 1980s is blasting in the background. Cliff does a line.
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INT. ARTHUR’S OFFICE - DAY Arthur is pacing around in silence when Monk walks in. ARTHUR There you are. MONK
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INT. ARTHUR'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER Monk and Arthur clink their glasses and drink. A bottle of Johnnie Walker Red sits between them. They’re both looking at Arthur’s office phone, which is ringing on speaker as they try to contact PAULA BADERMAN (white, 50s).
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EXT. BEACH HOUSE - AFTERNOON Monk’s unpacking the car by himself when a security guard pulls up in one of those quasi-cop cars. This security guard is MAYNARD (black, late 60s). MAYNARD
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INT. BEACH HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - AFTERNOON It’s golden hour. There’s a knock on the door. MONK (from the living room) There she is. Behave yourself.
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INT. CORALINE’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Monk and Coraline sip nightcaps on the sofa as the sun sets. MONK ...yeah, it was pretty funny. I think you remind her of my sister.
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EXT. BEACH - NIGHT Monk runs down the beach with his flashlight looking for Agnes. MONK Mother! Mother!
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INT. SUNRISE ELDER CARE HOME - LIBRARY - DAY Monk and Agnes walk with LUZ BORQUEZ (40s, Latina, pantsuit), who’s showing them the facilities. It’s cozy and dignified, not clinical or sparse like some retirement homes. A couple RETIREES read in chairs dotting the space.
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INT. CARL BRUNT’S OFFICE - SAME TIME It’s a small office laden with books of all shapes and sizes. CARL BRUNT (60s, white, patrician) is professorially stuffy. CARL Hello, Thelonious. My name is Carl
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INT. MONK’S CHILDHOOD HOME - FORMAL LIVING ROOM - DAY Monk is lying on the couch reading when Lorraine enters, carrying a tray of food and a beverage. LORRAINE I brought you lunch, Mr. Monk.
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INT. ARTHUR’S OFFICE - DAY Monk and Agnes enter Arthur’s office, where Arthur sits with an assistant, LAYNE (20s). ARTHUR The guests of honor!
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INT. SOUTH END RESTAURANT - DAY Monk gets into character as he enters the restaurant. He approaches a booth in a corner of the main room, where WILEY (white, 50s, bro-ey) sits. Wiley stands to greet Monk. WILEY
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INT. BUILDING STAIRWELL - MOMENTS LATER Monk is sprinting up the flights of stairs to Arthur’s office, on the seventh floor. MONK Mother! Mother!
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INT. MONK’S CHILDHOOD HOME - STUDY - DAY Monk sits in front of his laptop with a cup of coffee. He’s on a Zoom call with the other NBA judges: WILSON HARNET (white, 60s), AILENE HOOVER (white, 50s), DANIEL SIGMARSEN (white, 50s, grumpy cowboy), and Sintara Golden.
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INT. SUNRISE ELDER CARE HOME - AGNES’ ROOM - DAY Monk, Coraline, and Lorraine are helping Agnes settle in to her room at the home. Coraline is going through boxes as Monk hangs a landscape painting. Lorraine and Agnes are seated at the room’s small dining table.
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INT. THOMPSON-WATT - PAULA BADERMAN'S OFFICE - SAME TIME Paula’s office is the same, but now she’s sitting with JOHN BOSCO (white, 30s, gay). PAULA John Bosco is the head of the
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INT. MONK’S CHILDHOOD HOME - NIGHT Monk and Coraline have just gotten home. They make their way to the kitchen. CORALINE I’m exhausted.
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EXT. MONK’S CHILDHOOD HOME - BOCCE COURT - LATER Coraline and Cliff toss bocce balls and drink wine as Monk watches at the edge. Monk’s in a bathrobe, Cliff in basketball shorts and nothing else. Coraline’s in her clothes from before.
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EXT. SUNRISE ELDER CARE HOME - COURTYARD - DAY Monk, Coraline, and Cliff are walking through the courtyard carrying some banker’s boxes. They’re filled with things for Agnes, including a stereo and some vinyl records. Cliff looks admiringly at the grounds.
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INT. SUNRISE ELDER CARE HOME - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER Cliff assembles a CD player and speakers for Agnes as Monk talks with a DOCTOR in hushed tones at Agnes’ door. DOCTOR We had to sedate her after she
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EXT. MONK’S CHILDHOOD HOME - PORCH - AFTERNOON Monk, Coraline, and Cliff are sitting on the front porch in total silence. Cliff, who’s clutching a suitcase, is standoffish now, different from the unguarded man we saw briefly in the previous scenes. An Uber pulls up and the trio
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INT. ARTHUR’S OFFICE - SAME TIME ARTHUR Get this: The FBI called Thompson- Watt today to try to get Stagg R. Leigh’s identity.
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INT. CORALINE’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Monk and Coraline are having pasta for dinner. Monk is clearly aggravated, eating in silence. CORALINE Is everything alright?
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INT. MONK’S CHILDHOOD HOME - FOYER - DAY Monk helps Lorraine, Maynard, and Maynard’s sons, BURT and JEFF (both black and in their 40s), move the last of Lorraine’s things into a moving truck out front. Lorraine enters from the kitchen carrying a SodaStream.
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INT. WILSON’S OFFICE - DAY WILSON Thompson-Watt apparently raced to publish it. INT. AILENE’S OFFICE - DAY
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INT. SINTARA’S OFFICE - DAY SINTARA Can we not have this conversation now, please? Daniel and Ailene calm down.
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INT. SUNRISE ELDER CARE HOME - AGNES' BEDROOM - DAY Monk, who’s wearing a suit and tie, enters to find Agnes applying the finishing touches to her makeup. Monk beams a genuine smile when he sees her. AGNES
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INT. BEACH HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Monk and Cliff are now face to face. CLIFF Shit. The wedding. MONK
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EXT. BEACH HOUSE - AFTERNOON Monk, Agnes, Cliff, Burt, Jeff, Kenny, and Alvin are gathered behind the house with a small coterie of OTHERS as Lorraine and Maynard are married by a PASTOR beneath a small arbor decorated with flowers.
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INT. HOTEL CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Monk and the NBA judges discuss their choices for the Book Award finalists. A list of titles are up on a white board, ranked from 10 to 4. The top three spots are empty. DANIEL
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INT. HOTEL CONFERENCE ROOM - LATER Monk enters carrying a salad in a plastic clamshell container. He’s surprised to find Sintara eating sushi by herself and reading. MONK
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EXT. HOTEL STAIRWELL - DAY Monk is sitting on the top step. After a few beats of contemplation, he pulls out his phone and goes to his text thread with Coraline. He composes a message: “I’m sorry. I’d like to tell you some things. Would you be my date to the
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EXT. SUNRISE ELDER CARE HOME - AGNES' ROOM - DAY Monk sits at Agnes’ bedside as Agnes stares off into the distance. They’re both silent for a few beats. MONK Mother.
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INT. BANQUET HALL - NIGHT Monk, his fellow judges, and DOZENS OF GUESTS in black tie are gathered at the awards gala. It’s not incredibly glamorous -- this is a book award, after all. Monk, dateless, sits at a circular table of OLD WHITE PEOPLE picking at
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INT. BANQUET HALL - MONK’S TABLE - SAME TIME Monk thinks for a beat, then stands, and buttons his tuxedo jacket. INT. BANQUET HALL - STAGE - SAME TIME Carl squints and looks out over the ballroom.
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INT. “PLANTATION ANNIHILATION SET” - DAY The filmmaking detritus and garish branding on the backs of some directors’ chairs let us know we’re on the set of Wiley Valdespino’s latest film. Wiley is reading Monk’s script as Monk sits beside him.
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INT. BANQUET HALL - STAGE - NIGHT Carl repeats his line. CARL This year’s Literary Award goes to - - Stagg R. Leigh, ”Fuck”!
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INT. BANQUET HALL - STAGE - NIGHT Monk is back onstage with Carl, who repeats his line. CARL (covering mic, to Monk) Hey, what’s going on?
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EXT. STUDIO BACKLOT Monk, a bit defeated, steps out of a building onto the backlot of some nameless studio, carrying his script. It’s a beautiful day in L.A. and PEOPLE run to and fro. But Monk is only looking for one person: Cliff, who’s waiting for him in
INT EXT INT/EXT tap to expand

American Fiction

A renowned but reclusive author grapples with his identity, family, and the literary industry's expectations as he navigates the aftermath of his sister's death. Other loglines ›

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Overview

Poster
Unique Selling Point

This screenplay stands out for its incisive critique of the literary world, particularly regarding the expectations placed on black authors. It combines humor with serious themes, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking, appealing to audiences interested in social commentary and character-driven stories.

AI Verdict

How to read these: in industry coverage, Pass is the default outcome for the majority of professional scripts, and Consider means the reader stayed in the room. Industry-wide, the median professional evaluation sits at a 6 — scores of 8+ are rare everywhere, on purpose.

Synthesis Where readers agree and split
7.8

The script's distinctive satirical voice and sharp family dynamics anchor a strong Recommend, and it will move into the next band once the third-act meta-frame is resolved into a single, legible character choice.

Readers read as Elevated commercial1 Prestige4
Genres Comedy5 Drama5 Satire2

A prestige satire aiming for intellectual provocation and emotional ambiguity through a voice-forward protagonist navigating racial performance, commercial compromise, and family grief.

Readers split on the contract's primary lane: four read this as prestige, one as elevated commercial. The split traces to the back-half execution — the prestige read accepts the deliberate ambiguity and tonal detachment, while the commercial read sees the unresolved climax and repeated satirical beats as structural drag.

Why not lower

The script's consistent satirical voice, sharp dialogue, and emotionally credible family scenes provide a clear basis for advocacy despite the structural issues in the final act.

Why not higher

The unresolved third-act climax and the back-half causal drift prevent the script from delivering the cumulative emotional and narrative pressure required for a higher band.

Rewrite map

A script with a distinctive satirical voice and sharp family dynamics that needs structural work on the third-act meta-frame and the back-half causal pressure.

Readers read as Elevated commercial1 Prestige4

Start here

Re-clarifying the protagonist's governing desire after the midpoint and committing to a single, legible action at the awards will simultaneously resolve the back-half causal drift and the third-act structural ambiguity, making the satire's critique land through character choice rather than meta-commentary.

Protect while fixing 2
Protagonist's satirical voice as character armor

Tightening the back-half causal chain risks flattening his ironic detachment into straightforward plot mechanics or softening his cynicism to make him more conventionally likable.

Keep his dialogue sharp, defensive, and intellectually rigid even as his actions become more consequential, trusting that his unpleasantness is the engine of the satire.

Family banter and grief as tonal counterweight

Re-sequencing the family stakes to drive the plot could turn them into schematic plot devices rather than lived emotional moments that ground the cultural critique.

Allow family scenes to play out with their own internal rhythm, humor, and tenderness before tying them to the protagonist's satirical choices, preserving the contrast between satire and sincerity.

Fix first 3
Third-act meta-framing dilutes the protagonist's choice

The reader loses the emotional traction built by the first two acts because the final sequences prioritize intellectual commentary over a concrete character decision, leaving the climax suspended.

Root cause

The script uses multiple ending variations and a nested filmmaking frame to avoid a tidy moral conclusion, but withholding the protagonist's action turns the climax into a holding pattern rather than a resolution.

One direction

Commit to a single, legible action for the protagonist at the awards that resolves his internal contradiction, using the meta-frame only as a brief coda or consequence rather than a competing narrative layer.

Back-half causal pressure diffuses as satire repeats

The reader loses forward pull because scenes continue to deliver satirical hits and parallel family observations without accumulating toward a newly legible personal cost or revised objective.

Root cause

After the midpoint commercial success, the protagonist's governing desire is not re-clarified, so subsequent satirical and family scenes function as isolated observations rather than steps in a causal chain.

One direction

Re-anchor the second half around a specific, active pressure that forces the protagonist to choose between his satirical detachment and personal exposure, making each subsequent scene alter his situation.

Thematic debate overtakes discovery Medium confidence

The reader gets a clear account of the script's argument, but some scenes feel like successive statements of that argument rather than new turns in the characters' relationships, reducing the sense of discovery.

Root cause

The script sets up ideological clashes but articulates both positions as explicit arguments, so the marketing encounters and late-act debates restate the premise instead of changing either character's immediate course of action.

One direction

Compress explicit thesis lines and let the publishing interactions carry more of the argument through behavior, ensuring each debate changes a practical choice or relationship dynamic.

Your decisions 1
Third-act meta-framing: deliberate thematic ambiguity vs. structural indecision Consequential
Side A

Committing to the meta-frame as intentional means the script's ambiguity is the point; revision should focus on clarifying the rules of the frame earlier so the multiple endings read as earned commentary rather than evasion.

Side B

Committing to the structural flaw reading means the multiple endings dilute the climax; revision should collapse the frame into a single, legible character choice to restore causal pressure and emotional payoff.

Quick credibility wins 1
Clean up proofreading slips and inconsistent formatting

Run a dedicated pass to fix duplicated words, misspellings, and inconsistent character names, and strip parentheticals that dictate tone the dialogue already carries.

Ask AI about this read
Would readers champion it · Rewrite depth · Voice · Score stability
What's working 4 of 5 readers agree

The protagonist's distinctive satirical voice and the script's willingness to let him remain intellectually rigid and unlikable create a compelling, conversation-driving engine that anchors the cultural critique.

What's blocking 4 of 5 readers agree

The third-act meta-framing and multiple ending variations dilute the emotional and narrative payoff, leaving the protagonist's central moral choice suspended rather than productively ambiguous.

Would readers champion it?
Not yetNot yetReaders wouldn’t actively push for it.
Early interestEarly interestMentioned, but no real push behind it.
ModeratelyModeratelyMentioned favorably to the right buyer.
StronglyStronglyActively championed across their network.
ClaudeStronglyGeminiStronglyDeepSeekModeratelyGPT5ModeratelyGrokModerately
How much rewrite does it need?
Start from scratchStart from scratchPremise or core engine isn’t working. Page-one rebuild.
Structural rewriteStructural rewriteSpecific acts or zones need rebuilding — not starting over, but significant revision work on those sections.
Targeted rewriteTargeted rewriteSpecific scenes or threads need rework. ~1 month.
Just polishJust polishLines and pacing tweaks. A few weeks.
ClaudeTargeted rewriteDeepSeekTargeted rewriteGPT5Targeted rewriteGrokTargeted rewriteGeminiJust polish
How distinctive is the voice?
GenericGenericReads like other scripts in the genre.
EmergingEmergingHints of a distinctive voice, not yet locked in.
DistinctiveDistinctiveA clear, recognizable authorial voice.
One-of-a-kindOne-of-a-kindA voice that couldn’t be anyone else’s.
ClaudeDistinctiveDeepSeekDistinctiveGPT5DistinctiveGrokDistinctiveGeminiOne-of-a-kind

On the score: The score sits at the high edge of its band — a focused revision could push it to the next verdict.

Story Facts
Genres:
Drama 55% Comedy 30% Romance 15%

Setting: Contemporary, Various locations including USC, Boston, a beach house, and a Sunrise Elder Care Home

Themes: Artistic Integrity vs. Commercial Success, Racial Identity and Representation in Literature, Family Dynamics and Mortality, Finding Love and Connection, The Absurdity of the Literary World

Conflict & Stakes: Monk's struggle with racial identity, family responsibilities, and the pressures of the publishing industry, with personal relationships and his career at stake.

Mood: A mix of tension, introspection, and dark humor.

Standout Features:

  • Unique Hook: The protagonist's journey as a black professor navigating the complexities of race and identity in academia.
  • Plot Twist: The unexpected confrontation with the police during the awards ceremony, leading to a tragic climax.
  • Innovative Ideas: The screenplay challenges traditional narratives around race and representation in literature.
  • Distinctive Settings: The contrast between academic settings, family homes, and care facilities highlights the protagonist's multifaceted life.

Comparable Scripts: The Sellout by Paul Beatty, Dear White People (TV Series), The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Good Place (TV Series), The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (TV Series), The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Script Level Analysis

Writer Exec

This section delivers a top-level assessment of the screenplay’s strengths and weaknesses — covering overall quality (P/C/R/HR), character development, emotional impact, thematic depth, narrative inconsistencies, and the story’s core philosophical conflict. It helps identify what’s resonating, what needs refinement, and how the script aligns with professional standards.

Screenplay Insights

Breaks down your script along various categories.

Overall Score: 8.10
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Story Critique
Big-picture feedback on the story’s clarity, stakes, cohesion, and engagement.
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Characters
Explores the depth, clarity, and arc of the main and supporting characters.
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Emotional Analysis

Breaks down the emotional journey of the audience across the script.

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Goals and Philosophical Conflict
Evaluates character motivations, obstacles, and sources of tension throughout the plot.
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Themes
Analysis of the themes of the screenplay and how well they’re expressed.
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Logic & Inconsistencies
Highlights any contradictions, plot holes, or logic gaps that may confuse viewers.
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Scene Analysis

All of your scenes analyzed individually and compared, so you can zero in on what to improve.

Scene-Level Percentile Chart
Hover over the graph to see more details about each score.
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Other Analyses

Writer Exec

This section looks at the extra spark — your story’s voice, style, world, and the moments that really stick. These insights might not change the bones of the script, but they can make it more original, more immersive, and way more memorable. It’s where things get fun, weird, and wonderfully you.

Unique Voice
Assesses the distinctiveness and personality of the writer's voice.
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Writer's Craft
Analyzes the writing to help the writer be aware of their skill and improve.
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Memorable Lines
Spotlights standout dialogue lines with emotional or thematic power.
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Tropes
Highlights common or genre-specific tropes found in the script.
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World Building
Evaluates the depth, consistency, and immersion of the story's world.
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Correlations
Identifies patterns in scene scores.
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Loglines
Presents logline variations based on theme, genre, and hook.
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Script•o•Scope