Synopsis

Vespertine, a pilot script by Lauri Levenfeld, follows Veronica "V" Lee (Brittany Ishibashi), an entertainment lawyer who has just made partner at one of the hottest firms in LA who finds herself at a crossroads after an assault. Battling a toxic work environment, a disgruntled male co-worker, and the weight of expectations from her Korean immigrant mother, V spirals into a world of late-night clubs, pills, and fractured relationships- perpetuating an intervention at her rock bottom from three lifelong friends- Cassy (Kate French), Marlowe (Rena Sofer), and Frankie (Marquita Terry-Lanier). Throughout a day of debauchery poolside, they confront V's story, measure their past traumas, and how their current situations correlate to the ever-present specter of womanhood and motherhood. Here, they are reminded of a courageous moment long ago- when they together conquered an angel of death in an ominous valley. The specific chemistry of this foursome (each possessing an elemental trait of life- earth, water, fire, and air) became a universal power together to eradicate the predator, changing their lives forever. As the present-day proceeds into the twilight, the four women are seduced by the elusive Vespertine- a poisonous desert flower offering a quick fix for a "die or awaken" micro-dose. So they gamble in Russian Roulette style- to reckon with the toxicities of their lives and the forces that have oppressed them- which unravels the perfect plot to avenge V- bloody and specifically female- using the menstruation cycle (that once victimized them) as a newfound superpower- how they do this requires their perfect formula, not unlike that night long ago, the ultimate sisterhood. Vespertine explores themes of female friendship, identity, patriarchy, and the search for meaning in midlife- where raw feminine power and mystical self-discovery ignite an appetite for confrontation and revenge like we've never seen before.