UNSPEAKABLE | milenagovich

UNSPEAKABLE is an episodic drama/thriller that follows a young woman in a desperate situation whose only option to avert authorities is to claim to be a girl who disappeared years ago as a child. But when the missing girl’s family welcomes the impostor home, she’s forced to keep the deception alive or face the consequences. UNSPEAKABLE is a proof-of-concept for a 1-hour TV drama.

Series Overview

With gut-wrenching moral dilemmas and shocking twists, UNSPEAKABLE follows the journey of a desperate young woman on the run who finds a hope she’s never had when she assumes the identity of a missing girl. And she’ll do anything to hang on to her new life by keeping the deception alive.

The 15-minute episodic short was drawn from the one-hour pilot. It's the opening chapter of a five-season series arc, which has been meticulously mapped out. Equal parts thriller and family drama, the show has heart-stopping sequences which unfold against a nostalgic Americana backdrop. Tonally, the show has a pervasive sense of solitude—stark, lonely, painfully beautiful—accomplished through extreme wides to capture endless Texas sky, and extreme close-ups to study the "living silences" in performances. Throughout, we sense the yearning of a broken family trying to heal, and the struggle of an impostor grasping to hold on to a life that seemed out of reach in the face of impossible circumstances. Everyone in this story has deep-rooted secrets that could destroy the family, so much of the drama is propelled by the things that are left unsaid.

Through this lens, we explore the thematic question: is ‘truth’ the enemy of happiness? Can this young woman have the familial love she’s always dreamed of while filling a void for the family of a missing child? Or will the truth finally catch up and force her to face the consequences of her unspeakable actions?

MILENA GOVICH is a director who has helmed over a dozen episodes of TV, including THE EQUALIZER, CHICAGO MED, FBI: MOST WANTED, CHICAGO FIRE, among others. She also served as Co-EP/Producing Director on FBI, and is attached to direct two pilots currently in development. Milena was selected for AFI's Directing Workshop for Women, Sony Diverse Directors Program, Universal Directors Initiative, and is a recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant. Her pilot presentation UNSPEAKABLE, was nominated for Best Independent Episodic at SXSW and won Best Episodic at Seattle International and SoHo International Film Festivals. Her short ﬁlm, TEMPORARY, has played all over the country winning Best Narrative Short at Anthem FF, Best Dark Comedy at Atlanta ShortsFest, and the Director’s Choice Award at Sedona Int’l FF. As an actor, singer, and dancer, she started on Broadway in the Sam Mendes/ Rob Marshall revival of CABARET at Studio 54, among others. She is perhaps best known for her acting work on TV, including FINDING CARTER (MTV), RESCUE ME (FX), and as the ﬁrst and only female detective on the Emmy winning, LAW & ORDER (NBC).

DAVID CORNUE is the Creator/Writer/Executive Producer of TRIAGE, a medical drama at ABC with director Jon M. Chu (CRAZY RICH ASIANS) and 20th Television. He is also a Writer/Consulting Producer on an upcoming Apple TV+ series with Team Downey. David wrote, produced, and scored the episodic pilot presentation, UNSPEAKABLE, which premiered at SXSW and won Best Pilot at multiple film festivals. He adapted Stephen King’s novel, INSOMNIA, with the author’s approval and participation. As the founder of New Core Productions, David produced and sold three indie features and wrote/produced the sports comedy, #LUCKY NUMBER. He has developed television projects with studios and networks, including ABC, FOX, A&E, and USA Network. David was selected for Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s inaugural class of Imagine Impact, and the Fox Writers Lab. He also formed an exclusive writing group and popular script development service. He's a classically trained composer with film scores, acclaimed musicals, and songs on produced albums. davidcornue.com