Title: The Embalmer
Logline: A terminally ill funeral director in a drought-ravaged Southwest, haunted by a past wartime "mercy killing," spirals into self-destruction when a deadly heatwave overwhelms his mortuary with bodies, forcing him to confront his guilt, mortality, and the ethics of ending suffering in a collapsing world.
The Schrader Man: Arthur Vance (50s/60s) - isolated, guilt-ridden, precise. Lives above his failing funeral home. Diagnosed with aggressive cancer. Ritualistic embalming is his anchor. Past sin: euthanized a suffering comrade as a medic.
Collapsing World: Bleak, parched Southwest town under relentless heatwave/drought. Bodies (especially vulnerable heat victims) flood his mortuary, mirroring his own decay and societal/environmental breakdown.
The Trigger & Descent: Embalming a heatstroke victim violently triggers his wartime trauma. Overwhelmed, in pain, and self-medicating, he cuts corners, makes mistakes. His voiceover fragments, consumed by suffering and release.
Moral Crisis: He writes a fragmented, despairing "Mercy Journal" manifesto. Is ending profound suffering (his comrade, a child, himself, the planet) mercy or sin? A suffering client might obliquely ask for his "help."
Schrader Style: Bleached sun/sterile embalming room visuals. Tight framing. Long takes. Catholic guilt. Slow-burn dread. Climax: A breaking point – a devastating confession monologue or a morally ambiguous act fueled by pain, guilt, and twisted mercy. Internal explosion over external action.
Core Themes: Guilt & Atonement | Isolation | Mercy Killing Ethics | Ritual vs. Chaos | Existential Dread (Personal/Planetary) | Suffering & Meaning.
Pure Schrader: "Man in a room" (embalming suite), profound guilt, moral ambiguity, contemporary dread, strong internal performance, voiceover, stylized visuals, bleak tone, ambiguous climax.