Explore | Go Gladys

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An ending that will leave you twisted….

A Shocking beginning and a shocking twist ending with a roller coaster in between…

--- Anand Varma

Synopsis

Characters

Locations

Story Boards

Creative Team

Financial

SYNOPSIS
ACT 1

Harriet Knowles & Matthew Daughtery drive into their sprawling Italian holiday villa estate in Puglia after spending the day in lecce. Matthew parks and gets on to a call while Harriet rushes in to use the toilet. Moments later Harriet appears with an ashen expression, "Matthew, there is a woman hanging in the living room." The couple rush in and see a woman hung from the ceiling. Matthew takes a ladder and confirms that the woman is dead. They call the police. Col. Detective Vittorio Vinci from the Lecce Carabinieri arrives at the scene and talks to Harriet and Matthew. The couple declare that they’ve never seen this woman before. Vittorio doesn't believe them even though it is confirmed that they were in lecce when the woman died. An investigation begins and the dead woman is identified as Gladys Golder, from the wealthy Golder family that owns and runs mines in Australia. The investigation further reveals that Gladys is an adopted child and the Golder heritage is ridden with hereditary cancer syndrome.

SYNOPSIS
ACT 2

Matthew and Harriet are let go as there is no evidence to detain them. Vittorio deploys his highest contacts to dig deeper into the case. He locates Harriets cell phone next to Galdys' cell phone in London on several occasions. He rushes to the airport and pulls Harriet & Matthew out of a flight to London. Harriet and Matthew sit across from Vittorio in an interrogation room. Vittorio warns them that lying will only lead to prison. Harriet capitulates. She admits having met Gladys a month ago. Harriet then drops the bombshell that she’s the illegitimate daughter of Jack Golder, a Golder with a seriously dubious profile. Harriet's past is put on the table. A story of abuse, abandonment, inheritance and cancer intertwines into a complex web of high stakes with more than 250 Million dollars on the table. Harriet reveals that Gladys was cast aside in the Golder family for being an adopted child and not a real Golder. Gladys wanted Harriet’s help in exposing Golder family members who were cheating the mine business and stuffing their pockets. Gladys wanted Harriet to leverage her power as an actual Golder to scare the philandering Golders. According to Harriet, Gladys
promised that in return, she would help Harriet get her rights as Jack Golder's daughter, and consequently, a large fortune. Harriet's story checks out and all the evidence points to Peyton Golder and Jack Golder who had every reason to have Gladys killed

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SYNOPSIS
ACT 3

Jack Golder, Esther Golder and Peyton Golder all arrive at the Villa estate. They cold shoulder Harriet even though she's a cousin. A physical fight breaks out between Jack Golder and Harriet as she alleges that he sexually abused her as a child. Moments later Esther Golder is found dead. A secret camera reveals Peyton Golder serving her a drink moments before she died from poisoning. The case against Jack Golder and Peyton Golder is air tight. But then, Peyton produces a video in which Esther Golder declares her intention to end her life because of the enormous pain of cancer. Vittorio is left without any evidence. Harriet is sent to jail for lying about not knowing Gladys. Peyton & Jack Golder return to Australia without charge. Vittorio files a request to extradite them. Several years pass. Then one day, Vittorio gets a call informing him of Peyton Golders death due to Cancer. Five years pass, Vittorio is older and retired. Vittorio gets a visit from a detective who worked on the Gladys Golder’s case with him. He shows Vittorio an article detailing how Harriet has fought for her rights as Jack Golder’s daughter and won a huge inheritance case. The article reveals how she was awarded a large sum of money as inheritance after the natural death of her Father, Jack Golder ,who became the sole heir of the Golder fortune. He feels happy for Harriet. But then, he begins to think.... he begins to recreate the crime scene, the pieces of the puzzle start to fall in place, a cancer test, the poison, the hanging dead body, a birthday celebration, a bouncy castle, an abusive father and a loving husband....the revelation of what actually happened to Gladys becomes crystal clear....

CHARACTERS

HARRIET KNOWLES

British | Early 30's | Elegant. Sharp. Unreadable.

Harriet is composed, intelligent, and performs vulnerability like a well-rehearsed script. A woman who blends charm with detachment, she is the last person you'd expect to be implicated in a murder—yet the evidence keeps circling back to her. Her alibi is airtight, but her secrets could shatter it all. Beneath her composed exterior lies a history of inherited trauma, manipulation, and a fierce need to survive—at any cost.

“She’s not lying. She’s editing.”

COL. DETECTIVE VITTORIO VINCI

Italian | Mid-50s | Brilliant. Stoic. Introspective.

Colonel Vittorio Vinci is a former intelligence operative turned homicide detective—trained not just to catch criminals, but to break down liars. With a mind sharpened by years of recruiting spies from inside the Italian mafia, Vittorio sees every detail as a thread to be pulled. He speaks softly, watches obsessively, and rarely shows his hand. The villa’s murder isn't just another case—it’s a puzzle that draws him in deeper than he expects.

Vittorio carries the weight of personal loss and professional cynicism, hidden beneath crisp tailoring and psychological control. The deeper he digs, the more he risks losing the line between justice and obsession.

“Everyone lies. It’s not about who—it's about why

they chose that particular version of the truth.”

GLADYS GOLDER

Gladys is trapped in all senses…. she is the one that will rule the 250 Million dollar empire of the Golder family… she has many secrets and many reasons for why she was adopted by the Golder family….. the nose is tightened around her neck… the killer has been planning this meticulously…. for a very long time… and now is the perfect time to pounce….

MATTHEW DAUGHTERY

Matthew faces a pandoras box of revelations about his wife, Harriet. He loves Harriet to pieces no matter who she turns out to be…. the twists and turns test the limits of his love for Harriet… He knows nothing about who she is….. will it work or will it tear their union into pieces….?

PEYTON GOLDER

Peyton is a party Animal with no limits on her indulgences with the enormous wealth she has. She has an incredible secret that makes her the pivot of this case....but she will hold on to her wealth like a tigress and will not let anyone control her debauchery

PEYTON GOLDER

The Golder family has secrets and agendas that will crash with its destiny of death and destruction......

PEYTON GOLDER

“I want to live to the max. I have no regrets, no compunction and no fear because I know that anything less than the maximum will be a compromise with the elixir of life…”

---PEYTON GOLDER

ESTHER GOLDER

Esther is the voice of reason, she speaks the truth…..she sees the cracks and the touch of the devil behind the murder, she gets close to the killer…....... but she has not long to live…

JACK GOLDER

Jack is the devil. He he has the oﬀ ramp from hell into heaven… He has the solutions, he has the motive, he has the cash.... he has it all.

ADRIANO MORO

CARABINIERI OFFICER

An ex intelligence operative…. He has lived at the edge of life as a spy planted by Vittorio in one of the most dangerous mafias of Italy….here he encounters another life and death game where the stakes are high with his ex boss….

LOCATIONS

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THE VILLA ESTATE

(Masseria Samali, Porto Cesareo, Puglia)

Primary Location | Psychological Arena

| Architectural Character

The villa is more than a backdrop—it's

a character in the story.

This secluded countryside estate in southern Italy is drenched in golden Mediterranean light by day and heavy shadow by night. Its vaulted stone ceilings, arched windows, terracotta tilework, and weathered facades evoke timeless elegance—while masking the claustrophobic undercurrent of deceit unfolding within.

THE LIVING ROOM

—THE CRIME SCENE

The film opens here—with the shocking image of Gladys Golder hanging from a ceiling fan, surrounded by a room decorated for a birthday party.

Massive ceilings, art deco furniture, and celebratory black-and-white balloons form a chilling contrast to the brutal truth dangling from above.

THE CITY OF LECCE

A historical Italian town with baroque architecture, bustling piazzas, and romantic energy. It's where Harriet and Matthew claim to have been during the murder. Scenes here contrast the tense stillness of the villa with urban vibrancy and classical beauty.

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THE INTERROGATION ROOM

— CARABINIERI OFFICE, LECCE

Formerly used for espionage, this stone-walled room is now where truth is deconstructed.

The lighting is low, the architecture bare, and the silence weaponized. Vittorio knows how to break a subject. Harriet, however, is a different story.