Stanhope

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This short film tells the story of Stanhope, a young teenager from a single parent home. He has an active imagination and escapes by reading and drawing comic book sketches. His mom Denise, who is struggling to stay afloat with five kids, works two jobs to support the family and makes ends meet by shuffling her credit card debt. She's dated her way through a list of boyfriends, but the last one, Melvin, was abusive and left the kids traumatized. Stanhope, the eldest boy, is protective of his mom and the other kids and will do whatever it takes to provide for them. He's convinced the killing for hire that he does, as a way to help support the family, is just ridding his community of the bad guys, like a superhero of sorts. On his way to his next assignment, he sees Melvin in the neighborhood diner, the abusive boyfriend of his mom's that he hasn't seen in a long time. On impulse, Stanhope kills him in broad daylight which is totally against his usual way of operating. The drama that ensues changes the lives of everyone in Stanhope's family, including Stanhope.