Even Unicorns Need To Breathe

Author: Leah Meyerhoff 

Feature Length

Website: www.leahmeyerhoff.com

The first time always hurts the most.

Synopsis:

Davina is the type of girl who is more likely to get groped in a school hallway (and like it) than be asked to the prom. She collects dolls in glass jars, sorts her food by size and color, and holds her breath constantly. Her androgynous best friend Cassidy has a not-so-secret crush on her that leads to them being called “lezzers” at school. Davina lives in a small town with her sexually aggressive father and a stepfamily she despises. Needless to say, she is anxious to escape.
She gets that chance on the morning of her 16th birthday, when she meets an older punk kid named Sterling. He sneaks her into a traveling circus, where the promised “Lost Mystery of Nature – The Noble Unicorn” turns out to be a deformed goat with a single horn. Her heart skips a beat and from that moment forward it belongs to him. He teaches her how to steal candy from a vending machine and do back flips on a trampoline. 

Together they embark upon a series of adventures: sneaking into the movies, making “crop angels” in an empty field, and roller skating with evangelical Christians. They paint each other’s nails blood red and flap their arms like birds. Hand and hand, they traverse a landscape of unmitigated patriotism and broken dreams. They roll down the car windows and sing at the top of their lungs.

However, the more time Davina spends with Sterling, the more she begins to isolate herself. Her family situation disintegrates, her grades slip, and she stops hanging out with Cassidy. Sterling becomes more controlling and their relationship takes a severe turn for the worse. The abuse culminates on the night of her Sweet Sixteen party when they get into a nasty fight in front of everyone. Davina is left alone and in tears, tracing a bruise on her leg with a permanent marker into the shape of a unicorn.

In a final attempt to regain her autonomy, Davina breaks up with Sterling. This pushes him over the edge and his obsession with her spirals out of control.

Scriptwriter Bio:  

Leah Meyerhoff was born in San Francisco and attended high school in Berkeley, California. She graduated with Honors from Brown University in 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in Art-Semiotics. Leah is currently studying on a full scholarship at New York University, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Film. 

While at NYU, Leah directed TWITCH, a finalist for the 2005 Student Academy Awards and the recipient of a Slamdance Grand Jury Prize. TWITCH has since screened in over 100 film festivals worldwide, won a dozen international awards, and was picked up for distribution by IFC. Leah has since completed several music videos, including TEAM QUEEN, a Planet Out finalist currently airing on LOGO, and ETERNAL FLAME which was recently picked up by MTV Europe. 

Leah has received press coverage from The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Film Threat, The Boston Globe, Flavorpill, The San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous other publications. Leah is also profiled in the docudrama series "Film School," directed by Nanette Burstein (THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE), which continues to air on the Independent Film Channel.

Leah is currently in development on her first feature film EVEN UNICORNS NEED TO BREATHE.